as crushed to
pieces. So, when an avalanche bears down a mountain-forest, twigs and
bushes suffer with the trees, and all perish together.

When Walter returned home on the Sunday evening from his long walk, and
its memorable close, he was too much occupied at first by the tidings he
had to give them, and by the emotions naturally awakened in his breast
by the scene through which he had passed, to observe either that his
Uncle was evidently unacquainted with the intelligence the Captain had
undertaken to impart, or that the Captain made signals with his hook,
warning him to avoid the subject. Not that the Captain's signals were
calculated to have proved very comprehensible, however attentively
observed; for, like those Chinese sages who are said in their
conferences to write certain learned words in the air that are wholly
impossible of pronunciation, the Captain made such waves and flourishes
as nobody without a previous knowledge of his mystery, would have been
at all likely to understand.

Captain Cuttle, however, becoming cognisant of what had happened,
relinquished these attempts, as he perceived the slender chance that now
existed of his being able to obtain a little easy chat with Mr Dombey
before the period of Walter's departure. But in admitting to himself,
with a disappointed and crestfallen countenance, that Sol Gills must
be told, and that Walter must go--taking the case for the present as he
found it, and not having it enlightened or improved beforehand by the
knowing management of a friend--the Captain still felt an unabated
confidence that he, Ned Cuttle, was the man for Mr Dombey; and that, to
set Walter's fortunes quite square, nothing was wanted but that they two
should come together. For the Captain never could forget how well he and
Mr Dombey had got on at Brighton; with what nicety each of them had put
in a word when it was wanted; how exactly they had taken one another's
measure; nor how Ned Cuttle had pointed out that resources in the first
extremity, and had brought the interview to the desired termination. On
all these grounds the Captain soothed himself with thinking that though
Ned Cuttle was forced by the pressure of events to 'stand by' almost
useless for the present, Ned would fetch up with a wet sail in good
time, and carry all before him.

Under the influence of this good-natured delusion, Captain Cuttle even
went so far as to revolve in his own bosom, while he sat looking at
Walter an