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'Eh? Yes?' said Mr Merdle, turning towards her

'What is it?' 'What is it?' repeated Mrs Merdle 'It is, I suppose, that you have not

heard a word of my complaint' 'Your complaint, Mrs Merdle?' said Mr Merdle 'I didn't know that you

were suffering from a complaint What complaint?' 'A complaint of you,' said Mrs Merdle 'Oh! A complaint of me,' said Mr Merdle 'What is the--what have I--what

may you have to co,

abstracted, pondering way, it took him some time to shape this question

As a kind of faint attempt to convince himself that he was the er to the parrot, who

expressed his opinion on that subject by instantly driving his bill into

it 'You were saying, Mrs Merdle,' said Mr Merdle, with his wounded finger

in his ainst me?

' 'A complaint which I could scarcely show the justice ofto repeat it,' said Mrs Merdle 'I ht as

well have stated it to the wall I had far better have stated it to the

bird He would at least have screamed'

'You don't wanta chair 'Indeed I don't know,' retorted Mrs Merdle, 'but that you had better do

that, than be so ht One would at least know that you

were sensible of as going on around you'