looked, was it? After labouring for two or three years in their precious

scheme, to find that they've got a beggar at last, and one of them tied

for life. Ha ha ha! He shall marry Nell. He shall have her, and I'll be

the first man, when the knot's tied hard and fast, to tell 'em what

they've gained and what I've helped 'em to. Here will be a clearing of

old scores, here will be a time to remind 'em what a capital friend I

was, and how I helped them to the heiress. Ha ha ha!'

In the height of his ecstasy, Mr Quilp had like to have met with a

disagreeable check, for rolling very near a broken dog-kennel, there

leapt forth a large fierce dog, who, but that his chain was of the

shortest, would have given him a disagreeable salute. As it was, the

dwarf remained upon his back in perfect safety, taunting the dog with

hideous faces, and triumphing over him in his inability to advance

another inch, though there were not a couple of feet between them.

Why don't you come and bite me, why don't you come and tear me to

pieces, you coward?' said Quilp, hissing and worrying the animal till

he was nearly mad. 'You're afraid, you bully, you're afraid, you know

you are.'

The dog tore and strained at his chain with starting eyes and furious

bark, but there the dwarf lay, snapping his fingers with gestures of

defiance and contempt. When he had sufficiently recovered from his

delight, he rose, and with his arms a-kimbo, achieved a kind of

demon-dance round the kennel, just without the limits of the chain,

driving the dog quite wild. Having by this means composed his spirits

and put himself in a pleasant train, he returned to his unsuspicious

companion, whom he found looking at the tide with exceeding gravity,

and thinking of that same gold and silver which Mr Quilp had

mentioned.

The Old Curiosity Shop