ome to sit upon Quilp's knee,' said the dwarf, in what he
meant to be a soothing tone, 'or is she going to bed in her own little
room inside here? Which is poor Nelly going to do?'

'What a remarkable pleasant way he has with children!' muttered Brass,
as if in confidence between himself and the ceiling; 'upon my word it's
quite a treat to hear him.'

'I'm not going to stay at all,' faltered Nell. 'I want a few things
out of that room, and then I--I--won't come down here any more.'

'And a very nice little room it is!' said the dwarf looking into it as
the child entered. 'Quite a bower! You're sure you're not going to
use it; you're sure you're not coming back, Nelly?'

'No,' replied the child, hurrying away, with the few articles of dress
she had come to remove; 'never again! Never again.'

'She's very sensitive,' said Quilp, looking after her. 'Very
sensitive; that's a pity. The bedstead is much about my size. I think
I shall make it MY little room.'

Mr Brass encouraging this idea, as he would have encouraged any other
emanating from the same source, the dwarf walked in to try the effect.
This he did, by throwing himself on his back upon the bed with his pipe
in his mouth, and then kicking up his legs and smoking violently. Mr
Brass applauding this picture very much, and the bed being soft and
comfortable, Mr Quilp determined to use it, both as a sleeping place by
night and as a kind of Divan by day; and in order that it might be
converted to the latter purpose at once, remained where he was, and
smoked his pipe out. The legal gentleman being by this time rather
giddy and perplexed in his ideas (for this was one of the operations of
the tobacco on his nervous system), took the opportunity of slinking
away into the open air, where, in course of time, he recovered
sufficiently to return with a countenance of tolerable composure. He
was soon led on by the malicious dwarf to smoke himself into a relapse,
and in that state stumbled upon a settee where he slept till morning.

Such were Mr Quilp's first proceedings on entering upon his new
property. He was, for some days, restrained by business from
performing any particular pranks, as his time was pretty well occupied
between taking, with the assistance of Mr Brass, a minute inventory of
all the goods in the place, and going abroad upon his other concerns
which happily engaged him for several hours at a time. His avarice and
caution being, now, thorough