| 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 100 |
| 1 | 133 | 265 | 398 | 530 |
|
'
And say,' added Mr Swiveller, 'say, sir, that I was wafted here upon
the pinions of concord; that I came to remove, with the rake of
friendship, the seeds of mutual violence and heart-burning, and to
sow in their place, the germs of social harmony. Will you have the
goodness to charge yourself with that commission, Sir?'
'
Certainly!' rejoined Quilp.
'
Will you be kind enough to add to it, Sir,' said Dick, producing a very
small limp card, 'that that is my address, and that I am to be found at
home every morning. Two distinct knocks, sir, will produce the slavey
at any time. My particular friends, Sir, are accustomed to sneeze when
the door is opened, to give her to understand that they ARE my
friends and have no interested motives in asking if I'm at home. I beg
your pardon; will you allow me to look at that card again?'
'Oh! by all means,' rejoined Quilp.
'By a slight and not unnatural mistake, sir,' said Dick, substituting
another in its stead, 'I had handed you the pass- ticket of a select
convivial circle called the Glorious Apollers of which I have the honour
to be Perpetual Grand. That is the proper document, Sir. Good
morning.'
Quilp bade him good day; the perpetual Grand Master of the Glorious
Apollers, elevating his hat in honour of Mrs Quilp, dropped it
carelessly on the side of his head again, and disappeared with a
flourish.
By this time, certain vans had arrived for the conveyance of the goods,
and divers strong men in caps were balancing chests of drawers and
other trifles of that nature upon their heads, and performing muscular
feats which heightened their complexions considerably. Not to be
behind-hand in the bustle, Mr Quilp went to work with surprising
vigour; hustling and driving the people about, like an evil spirit;
setting Mrs Quilp upon all kinds of arduous and impracticable tasks;
carrying great weights up and down, with no apparent effort; kicking
the boy from the wharf, whenever he could get near him; and
inflicting, with his loads, a great many sly bumps and blows on the
shoulders of Mr Brass, as he stood upon the door-steps to answer all
the inquiries of curious neighbours, which was his department. His
presence and example diffused such alacrity among the persons
employed, that, in a few hours, the house was emptied of everything,
but pieces of matting, empty porter-pots, and scattered fragments of
straw.
Seated, like an African chief, on one of these pieces of matting, the
dwarf was regaling himself in the parlour, with bread and cheese and
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