f last night's rest, by a long and sound nap.

Sound it might have been, but long it was not, for he had not been
asleep a quarter of an hour when the boy opened the door and thrust in
his head, which was like a bundle of badly-picked oakum. Quilp was a
light sleeper and started up directly.

'Here's somebody for you,' said the boy.

'Who?'

'I don't know.'

'Ask!' said Quilp, seizing the trifle of wood before mentioned and
throwing it at him with such dexterity that it was well the boy
disappeared before it reached the spot on which he had stood. 'Ask, you
dog.'

Not caring to venture within range of such missles again, the boy
discreetly sent in his stead the first cause of the interruption, who
now presented herself at the door.

'What, Nelly!' cried Quilp.

'Yes,' said the child, hesitating whether to enter or retreat, for the
dwarf just roused, with his dishevelled hair hanging all about him and
a yellow handkerchief over his head, was something fearful to behold;
it's only me, sir.'

'Come in,' said Quilp, without getting off the desk. 'Come in. Stay.
Just look out into the yard, and see whether there's a boy standing on
his head.'

'No, sir,' replied Nell. 'He's on his feet.'

'You're sure he is?' said Quilp. 'Well. Now, come in and shut the door.
What's your message, Nelly?'

The child handed him a letter. Mr Quilp, without changing his position
further than to turn over a little more on his side and rest his chin
on his hand, proceeded to make himself acquainted with its contents.

CHAPTER 6

Little Nell stood timidly by, with her eyes raised to the countenance
of Mr Quilp as he read the letter, plainly showing by her looks that
while she entertained some fear and distrust of the little man, she was
much inclined to laugh at his uncouth appearance and grotesque
attitude. And yet there was visible on the part of the child a painful
anxiety for his reply, and consciousness of his power to render it
disagreeable or distressing, which was strongly at variance with this
impulse and restrained it more effectually than she could possibly have
done by any efforts of her own.

That Mr Quilp was himself perplexed, and that in no small degree, by
the contents of the letter, was sufficiently obvious. Before he had got
through the first two or three lines he began to open his eyes very
wide and to frown most horribly, the next two or three caused him to
scratch his head in an uncommonly vicious ma