lt such an instinctive desire to get out of his reach, that she rose
directly and declared herself ready to return.

'But you'd better wait, and dine with Mrs Quilp and me.' said the dwarf.

'I have been away too long, sir, already,' returned Nell, drying her
eyes.

'Well,' said Mr Quilp, 'if you will go, you will, Nelly. Here's the
note. It's only to say that I shall see him to-morrow or maybe next
day, and that I couldn't do that little business for him this morning.
Good-bye, Nelly. Here, you sir; take care of her, d'ye hear?'

Kit, who appeared at the summons, deigned to make no reply to so
needless an injunction, and after staring at Quilp in a threatening
manner, as if he doubted whether he might not have been the cause of
Nelly shedding tears, and felt more than half disposed to revenge the
fact upon him on the mere suspicion, turned about and followed his
young mistress, who had by this time taken her leave of Mrs Quilp and
departed.

'You're a keen questioner, an't you, Mrs Quilp?' said the dwarf,
turning upon her as soon as they were left alone.

'What more could I do?' returned his wife mildly?

'What more could you do!' sneered Quilp, 'couldn't you have done
something less? Couldn't you have done what you had to do, without
appearing in your favourite part of the crocodile, you minx?'

'I am very sorry for the child, Quilp,' said his wife. 'Surely I've
done enough. I've led her on to tell her secret she supposed we were
alone; and you were by, God forgive me.'

'You led her on! You did a great deal truly!' said Quilp. 'What did I
tell you about making me creak the door? It's lucky for you that from
what she let fall, I've got the clue I want, for if I hadn't, I'd have
visited the failure upon you, I can tell you.'

Mrs Quilp being fully persuaded of this, made no reply. Her husband
added with some exultation,

'But you may thank your fortunate stars--the same stars that made you
Mrs Quilp--you may thank them that I'm upon the old gentleman's track,
and have got a new light. So let me hear no more about this matter now
or at any other time, and don't get anything too nice for dinner, for I
shan't be home to it.'

So saying, Mr Quilp put his hat on and took himself off, and Mrs Quilp,
who was afflicted beyond measure by the recollection of the part she
had just acted, shut herself up in her chamber, and smothering her head
in the bed-clothes bemoaned her fault more bitterly than many less
tender