“Stop!” said Quilp. “That’s the thing, that’s the thing. It can be brought about, it shall be brought about. There’s my hand upon it; I’m your friend from this minute.”
“What! do you think there’s still a chance?” enquired Dick, in surprise at this encouragement.
“A chance!” echoed the dwarf, “a certainty! Sophy Wackles may become a Cheggs or anything else she likes, but not a Swiveller. Oh you lucky dog! He’s richer than any Jew alive; you’re a made man. I see in you now nothing but Nelly’s husband, rolling in gold and silver. I’ll help you. It shall be done. Mind my words, it shall be done.”
“But how?” said Dick.
“There’s plenty of time,” rejoined the dwarf, “and it shall be done. We’ll sit down and talk it over again all the way through. Fill your glass while I’m gone. I shall be back directly—directly.”
With these hasty words, Daniel Quilp withdrew into a dismantled skittle-ground behind the public-house, and, throwing himself upon the ground actually screamed and rolled about in uncontrollable delight.
“Here’s sport!” he cried, “sport ready to my hand, all invented and arranged, and only to be enjoyed. It was this shallow-pated fellow who made my bones ache t’other day, was it? It was his friend and fellow-plotter, Mr. Trent, that once made eyes at Mrs. Quilp, and leered and 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 ’em to the heiress. Ha ha ha!”
In the height of his ecstacy, 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 akimbo, 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.
XXII
The remainder of that day and the whole of the next, were a busy time for the Nubbles family, to whom everything connected with Kit’s outfit and departure was matter of as great moment as if he had been about to penetrate into the interior of Africa, or to take a cruise round the world. It would be difficult to suppose that there ever was a box which was opened and shut so many times within four-and-twenty hours, as that which contained his wardrobe and necessaries; and certainly there never was one which to two small eyes presented such a mine of clothing, as this mighty chest with its three shirts and proportionate allowance of stockings and pocket-handkerchiefs, disclosed to the astonished vision of little Jacob. At last it was conveyed to the carrier’s at whose house, at Finchley, Kit was to find it next day; and the box being gone, there remained but two questions for consideration: firstly, whether the carrier would lose, or dishonestly feign to lose, the box upon the road: and secondly, whether Kit’s mother perfectly understood how to take care of herself in the absence of her son.
“I don’t think there’s hardly a chance of his really losing it, but carriers are under great temptation to pretend they lose things, no doubt,” said Mrs. Nubbles apprehensively, in reference to the first point.
“No doubt about it,” returned Kit, with a serious look; “upon my word mother, I don’t think it was right to trust it to itself. Somebody ought to have gone with it, I’m afraid.”
“We can’t help it now,” said his mother; “but it was foolish and wrong. People oughtn’t to be tempted.”
Kit inwardly resolved that he would never tempt a carrier any more, save with an empty box; and having formed this christian determination, he turned his thoughts to the second question.
“You know you must keep up your spirits mother, and not be lonesome because I’m not at home. I shall very often be able to look in when I come into town I dare say, and I shall send you a letter sometimes, and when the quarter comes round, I can get a holiday of course; and then see if we don’t take little Jacob to the play, and let him know what oysters means.”
“I hope plays mayn’t be sinful, Kit, but
