'Ecod, sir, he was Pitching into our people the other day in the most
tremendous manner. Went up to our place and Pitched into my father to
that extent that it was necessary to order him out. Came back to
our Department, and Pitched into me. Look here. You never saw such a
fellow.' 'What did he want?'
'Ecod, sir,' returned Young Barnacle, 'he said he wanted to know, you
know! Pervaded our Department--without an appointment--and said he
wanted to know!'
The stare of indignant wonder with which Young Barnacle accompanied
this disclosure, would have strained his eyes injuriously but for
the opportune relief of dinner. Mr Meagles (who had been extremely
solicitous to know how his uncle and aunt were) begged him to conduct
Mrs Meagles to the dining-room. And when he sat on Mrs Meagles's right
hand, Mr Meagles looked as gratified as if his whole family were there.
All the natural charm of the previous day was gone. The eaters of the
dinner, like the dinner itself, were lukewarm, insipid, overdone--and
all owing to this poor little dull Young Barnacle. Conversationless at
any time, he was now the victim of a weakness special to the occasion,
and solely referable to Clennam. He was under a pressing and continual
necessity of looking at that gentleman, which occasioned his eye-glass
to get into his soup, into his wine-glass, into Mrs Meagles's plate, to
hang down his back like a bell-rope, and be several times disgracefully
restored to his bosom by one of the dingy men. Weakened in mind by his
frequent losses of this instrument, and its determination not to stick
in his eye, and more and more enfeebled in intellect every time he
looked at the mysterious Clennam, he applied spoons to his eyes,
forks, and other foreign matters connected with the furniture of the
dinner-table.
His discovery of these mistakes greatly increased his
difficulties, but never released him from the necessity of looking at
Clennam. And whenever Clennam spoke, this ill-starred young man was
clearly seized with a dread that he was coming, by some artful device,
round to that point of wanting to know, you know.
It may be questioned, therefore, whether any one but Mr Meagles had much
enjoyment of the time. Mr Meagles, however, thoroughly enjoyed Young
Barnacle. As a mere flask of the golden water in the tale became a full
fountain when it was poured out, so Mr Meagles seemed to feel that this
small spice of Barnacle imparted to his table the flavour of the whole
family-tree.
In its presence, his frank, fine, genuine qualities
paled; he was not so easy, he was not so natural, he was striving after
something that did not belong to him, he was not himself. What a strange
peculiarity on the part of Mr Meagles, and where should we find another
such case! At last the wet Sunday wore itself out in a wet night; and Young
Barnacle went home in a cab, feebly smoking; and the objectionable Gowan
went away on foot, accompanied by the objectionable dog. Pet had taken
the most amiable pains all day to be friendly with Clennam, but Clennam
had been a little reserved since breakfast--that is to say, would have
been, if he had loved her.