| 473 | 474 | 475 | 476 | 477 |
| 1 | 133 | 265 | 398 | 530 |
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fiercely with his clenched hand, 'to all these questions I answer -
Quilp!'
The three gentlemen looked at each other, but said nothing.
'I say,' pursued Brass, glancing aside at his sister, as though he were
talking for her information, and speaking with a snarling malignity, in
violent contrast to his usual smoothness, 'that I answer to all these
questions, - Quilp - Quilp, who deludes me into his infernal den, and
takes a delight in looking on and chuckling while I scorch, and burn,
and bruise, and maim myself - Quilp, who never once, no never once,
in all our communications together, has treated me otherwise than as
a dog - Quilp, whom I have always hated with my whole heart, but
never so much as lately. He gives me the cold shoulder on this very
matter as if he had had nothing to do with it, instead of being the first
to propose it. I can't trust him. In one of his howling, raving, blazing
humours, I believe he'd let it out, if it was murder, and never think of
himself so long as he could terrify me. Now,' said Brass, picking up
his hat again and replacing the shade over his eye, and actually
crouching down, in the excess of his servility, 'What does all this lead
to? - what should you say it led me to, gentlemen? - could you guess
at all near the mark?'
Nobody spoke. Brass stood smirking for a little while, as if he had
propounded some choice conundrum; and then said:
'
To be short with you, then, it leads me to this. If the truth has come
out, as it plainly has in a manner that there's no standing up against -
and a very sublime and grand thing is Truth, gentlemen, in its way,
though like other sublime and grand things, such as thunder-storms
and that, we're not always over and above glad to see it - I had better
turn upon this man than let this man turn upon me. It's clear to me
that I am done for. Therefore, if anybody is to split, I had better be the
person and have the advantage of it. Sarah, my dear, comparatively
speaking you're safe. I relate these circumstances for my own profit.'
With that, Mr Brass, in a great hurry, revealed the whole story;
bearing as heavily as possible on his amiable employer, and making
himself out to be rather a saint-like and holy character, though
subject - he acknowledged - to human weaknesses. He concluded
thus:
'Now, gentlemen, I am not a man who does things by halves. Being in
for a penny, I am ready, as the saying is, to be in for a pound. You
must do with me what you please, and take me where you please. If
you wish to have this in writing, we'll reduce it into manuscript
immediately. You will be tender with me, I am sure. I am quite
confident you will be tender with me. You are men of honour, and
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