s not the case. Mrs Mould," I says, making
so free, I will confess, as use the name,' (she curtseyed here), '"is
one of them that goes agen the obserwation straight; and never, Mrs
Harris, whilst I've a drop of breath to draw, will I set by, and not
stand up, don't think it."--"I ast your pardon, ma'am," says Mrs Harris,
"and I humbly grant your grace; for if ever a woman lived as would see
her feller creeturs into fits to serve her friends, well do I know that
woman's name is Sairey Gamp."'

At this point she was fain to stop for breath; and advantage may be
taken of the circumstance, to state that a fearful mystery surrounded
this lady of the name of Harris, whom no one in the circle of Mrs Gamp's
acquaintance had ever seen; neither did any human being know her place
of residence, though Mrs Gamp appeared on her own showing to be in
constant communication with her. There were conflicting rumours on the
subject; but the prevalent opinion was that she was a phantom of Mrs
Gamp's brain--as Messrs. Doe and Roe are fictions of the law--created
for the express purpose of holding visionary dialogues with her on all
manner of subjects, and invariably winding up with a compliment to the
excellence of her nature.

'And likeways what a pleasure,' said Mrs Gamp, turning with a tearful
smile towards the daughters, 'to see them two young ladies as I know'd
afore a tooth in their pretty heads was cut, and have many a day
seen--ah, the sweet creeturs!--playing at berryins down in the shop, and
follerin' the order-book to its long home in the iron safe! But that's
all past and over, Mr Mould;' as she thus got in a carefully regulated
routine to that gentleman, she shook her head waggishly; 'That's all
past and over now, sir, an't it?'

'Changes, Mrs Gamp, changes!' returned the undertaker.

'More changes too, to come, afore we've done with changes, sir,' said
Mrs Gamp, nodding yet more waggishly than before. 'Young ladies with
such faces thinks of something else besides berryins, don't they, sir?'

'I am sure I don't know, Mrs Gamp,' said Mould, with a chuckle--'Not bad
in Mrs Gamp, my dear?'

'Oh yes, you do know, sir!' said Mrs Gamp, 'and so does Mrs Mould,
your 'ansome pardner too, sir; and so do I, although the blessing of a
daughter was deniged me; which, if we had had one, Gamp would certainly
have drunk its little shoes right off its feet, as with our precious boy
he did, and arterward send the child a errand to sell his