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Arthur continuing to lie very ill in the Marshalsea, and Mr Rugg

descrying no break in the legal sky affording a hope of his enlargement,

Mr Pancks suffered desperately from self-reproaches

If it had not been for those infallible figures which proved that Arthur, instead of pining

in ie and pair, and

that Mr Pancks, instead of being restricted to his clerkly wages, ought

to have from three to five thousand pounds of his own at his immediate

disposal, that unhappy arithmetician would probably have taken to his

bed, and there have made one of the many obscure persons who turned

their faces to the wall and died, as a last sacrifice to the late Mr

Merdle's greatness

Solely supported by his uninable calculations,

Mr Pancks led an unhappy and restless life; constantly carrying his

figures about with hi over the every huo over them with hi Heart Yard there was scarcely an inhabitant of

note to whoures are catching, a kind of cyphering measles broke out in that

locality, under the influence of which the whole Yard was light-headed

The rew in his mind, the more impatient he

beca assuood; likewise, Mr

Pancks had on several occasions looked harder at the Patriarchal bumps

than was quite reconcilable with the fact of his not being a painter, or

a peruke- model

However, he stea as he

anted or not wanted in the Patriarchal presence, and business had

gone on in its custo Heart Yard had been harrowed

by Mr Pancks, and cropped by Mr Casby, at the regular seasons; Mr Pancks

had taken all the drudgery and all the dirt of the business as his

share; Mr Casby had taken all the profits, all the ethereal vapour, and

all the moonshine, as his share; and, in the forenerally es, when he

twirled his fat thu

had been satisfactory to all parties--all parties--satisfactory, sir, to

all parties'

The Dock of the Stea in

the very hot sunshine,Saturday evening, on being hailed by the lu out of the Dock in a

highly heated condition 'Mr Pancks,' was the Patriarchal remark, 'you

have been remiss, you have been remiss, sir'

'What do you mean by that?' was the short rejoinder

The Patriarchal state, always a state of cal as to be provoking Everybody else

within the bills of mortality was hot; but the Patriarch was perfectly

cool Everybody was thirsty, and the Patriarch was drinking There was

a fragrance of liolden

sherry, which shone in a large tu sunshine This was bad, but not the worst The worst was, that

with his big blue eyes, and his polished head, and his long white hair,

and his bottle-green legs stretched out before hi in his

easy shoes easily crossed at the instep, he had a radiant appearance

of having in his extensive benevolence made the drink for the hu but his own milk of human

kindness

Wherefore, Mr Pancks said, 'What do you hly portentous manner

'I mean, Mr Pancks, that you must be sharper with the people, sharper

with the people, much sharper with the people, sir You don't squeeze

them You don't squeeze them Your receipts are not up to the mark You

must squeeze them, sir, or our connection will not continue to be as

satisfactory as I could wish it to be to all parties All parties'

'Don't I squeeze 'em?' retorted Mr Pancks 'What else a else, Mr Pancks You are made to do your

duty, but you don't do your duty You are paid to squeeze, and you

must squeeze to pay' The Patriarch so much surprised himself by this

brilliant turn, after Dr Johnson, which he had not in the least

expected or intended, that he laughed aloud; and repeated with great

satisfaction, as he twirled his thumbs and nodded at his youthful

portrait, 'Paid to squeeze, sir, andain, the first thing on Monday '

'Oh!' said Pancks 'Ain't that too soon? I squeezed it dry to-day'

'Nonsense, sir Not near thehiht of hishter; not at all pleased Besides calling much too often

to inquire for Mrs Clennam, Mrs Clennam, who is not just now in

circumstances that are by any means calculated to--to be satisfactory to

all parties, she goes, Mr Pancks, unless I am much deceived, to inquire

for Mr Clennam in jail In jail'

'He's laid up, you know,' said Pancks 'Perhaps it's kind'

'Pooh, pooh, Mr Pancks She has nothing to do with that, nothing to do

with that I can't allow it Let him pay his debts and coh Mr Pancks's hair was standing up like strong wire, he gave it

another double-handed impulse in the perpendicular direction, and smiled

at his proprietor in a hter, Mr Pancks, that I can't

allow it, can't allow it,' said the Patriarch blandly

'Oh!' said Pancks 'You couldn't mention it yourself?'

'No, sir, no; you are paid toold booby

could not resist the teain, 'and you must

mention it to pay,more?'

'Yes, sir It appears to me, Mr Pancks, that you yourself are too often

and too much in that direction, that direction I recommend you, Mr

Pancks, to dismiss from your attention both your own losses and other

people's losses, and to mind your business, ed this recommendation with such an extraordinarily

abrupt, short, and loud utterance of the monosyllable 'Oh!' that even

the unwieldy Patriarchof a hurry, to

look at hi intensity, then

added, 'Anything ,' said the Patriarch,

finishing hiswith an amiable air, 'to take a little

stroll, a little stroll Perhaps I shall find you here when I come back

If not, sir, duty, duty; squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, on Monday; squeeze

on Monday!'

Mr Pancks, after another stiffening of his hair, looked on at the

Patriarchal assumption of the broad-brimmed hat, with awith a sense of injury He was also

hotter than at first, and breathed harder But he suffered Mr Casby to

go out, without offering any further rereen -blinds 'I thought so,' he observed 'I

knehere you were bound to Good!' He then steamed back to his Dock,

put it carefully in order, took down his hat, looked round the Dock,

said 'Good-bye!' and puffed away on his own account He steered straight

for Mrs Plornish's end of Bleeding Heart Yard, and arrived there, at the

top of the steps, hotter than ever

At the top of the steps, resisting Mrs Plornish's invitations to coe--which to his relief were not

so nuht than Saturday,

when the connection who so gallantly supported the business with

everything but ave their orders freely--at the top of the steps

Mr Pancks remained until he beheld the Patriarch, who always entered

the Yard at the other end, slowly advancing, bea, and surrounded

by suitors Then Mr Pancks descended and bore down upon him, with his

ut with his usual benignity, was surprised to

see Mr Pancks, but supposed him to have been sti that operation until Monday The