'As to me,' he resumed, 'certainly Mr Dorrit is as affable with me, I
am sure, as I can possibly expect. Considering the differences and
distances betwixt us, more so. But it's Miss Dorrit that we were
speaking of.' 'True. Pray how did you introduce her at my mother's!'
Mr Plornish picked a bit of lime out of his whisker, put it between his
lips, turned it with his tongue like a sugar-plum, considered, found
himself unequal to the task of lucid explanation, and appealing to his
wife, said, 'Sally, you may as well mention how it was, old woman.'
'Miss Dorrit,' said Sally, hushing the baby from side to side, and
laying her chin upon the little hand as it tried to disarrange the gown
again, 'came here one afternoon with a bit of writing, telling that
how she wished for needlework, and asked if it would be considered any
ill-conwenience in case she was to give her address here.' (Plornish
repeated, her address here, in a low voice, as if he were making
responses at church.)
'Me and Plornish says, No, Miss Dorrit, no
ill-conwenience,' (Plornish repeated, no ill-conwenience,) 'and she
wrote it in, according. Which then me and Plornish says, Ho Miss
Dorrit!' (Plornish repeated, Ho Miss Dorrit.) 'Have you thought of
copying it three or four times, as the way to make it known in more
places than one?
No, says Miss Dorrit, I have not, but I will. She
copied it out according, on this table, in a sweet writing, and
Plornish, he took it where he worked, having a job just then,' (Plornish
repeated job just then,) 'and likewise to the landlord of the Yard;
through which it was that Mrs Clennam first happened to employ Miss
Dorrit.' Plornish repeated, employ Miss Dorrit; and Mrs Plornish having
come to an end, feigned to bite the fingers of the little hand as she
kissed it. 'The landlord of the Yard,' said Arthur Clennam, 'is--'
'He is Mr Casby, by name, he is,' said Plornish, 'and Pancks, he
collects the rents. That,' added Mr Plornish, dwelling on the subject
with a slow thoughtfulness that appeared to have no connection with any
specific object, and to lead him nowhere, 'that is about what they are,
you may believe me or not, as you think proper.'
'Ay?' returned Clennam, thoughtful in his turn. 'Mr Casby, too! An old
acquaintance of mine, long ago!'
Mr Plornish did not see his road to any comment on this fact, and made
none. As there truly was no reason why he should have the least interest
in it, Arthur Clennam went on to the present purport of his visit;
namely, to make Plornish the instrument of effecting Tip's release,
with as little detriment as possible to the self-reliance and
self-helpfulness of the young man, supposing him to possess any remnant
of those qualities: without doubt a very wide stretch of supposition.
Plornish, having been made acquainted with the cause of action from the
Defendant's own mouth, gave Arthur to understand that the Plaintiff
was a 'Chaunter'--meaning, not a singer of anthems, but a seller of
horses--and that he (Plornish) considered that ten shillings in the
pound 'would settle handsome,' and that more would be a waste of money.