"She's tired, you see, Mrs. Quilp," said the dwarf,
squinting in a hideous manner to imply that his wife was
to follow his lead. "It's a long way from her home to the
wharf, and then she was alarmed to see a couple of young
scoundrels fighting, and was timorous on the water besides.
All this together has been too much for her. Poor Nell!"

Mr. Quilp unintentionally adopted the very best means
he could have devised for the recovery of his young visitor,
by patting her on the head. Such an application from any
other hand might not have produced a remarkable effect,
but the child shrank so quickly from his touch and felt
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 when 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

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