But, one morning long afterwards to be remembered, it was black midnight with the Golden Dustman when he first appeared. His altered character had never been so grossly marked. His bearing towards his Secretary was so charged with insolent distrust and arrogance, that the latter rose and left the table before breakfast was half done. The look he directed at the Secretary’s retiring figure was so cunningly malignant, that Bella would have sat astounded and indignant, even though he had not gone the length of secretly threatening Rokesmith with his clenched fist as he closed the door. This unlucky morning, of all mornings in the year, was the morning next after Mr. Boffin’s interview with Mrs. Lammle in her little carriage.
Bella looked to Mrs. Boffin’s face for comment on, or explanation of, this stormy humour in her husband, but none was there. An anxious and a distressed observation of her own face was all she could read in it. When they were left alone together—which was not until noon, for Mr. Boffin sat long in his easy-chair, by turns jogging up and down the breakfast-room, clenching his fist and muttering—Bella, in consternation, asked her what had happened, what was wrong? “I am forbidden to speak to you about it, Bella dear; I mustn’t tell you,” was all the answer she could get. And still, whenever, in her wonder and dismay, she raised her eyes to Mrs. Boffin’s face, she saw in it the same anxious and distressed observation of her own.
Oppressed by her sense that trouble was impending, and lost in speculations why Mrs. Boffin should look at her as if she had any part in it, Bella found the day long and dreary. It was far on in the afternoon when, she being in her own room, a servant brought her a message from Mr. Boffin begging her to come to his.
Mrs. Boffin was there, seated on a sofa, and Mr. Boffin was jogging up and down. On seeing Bella he stopped, beckoned her to him, and drew her arm through his. “Don’t be alarmed, my dear,” he said, gently; “I am not angry with you. Why you actually tremble! Don’t be alarmed, Bella my dear. I’ll see you righted.”
“See me righted?” thought Bella. And then repeated aloud in a tone of astonishment: “see me righted, sir?”
“Ay, ay!” said Mr. Boffin. “See you righted. Send Mr. Rokesmith here, you sir.”
Bella would have been lost in perplexity if there had been pause enough; but the servant found Mr. Rokesmith near at hand, and he almost immediately presented himself.
“Shut the door, sir!” said Mr. Boffin. “I have got something to say to you which I fancy you’ll not be pleased to hear.”
“I am sorry to reply, Mr. Boffin,” returned the Secretary, as, having closed the door, he turned and faced him, “that I think that very likely.”
“What do you mean?” blustered Mr. Boffin.
“I mean that it has become no novelty to me to hear from your lips what I would rather not hear.”
“Oh! Perhaps we shall change that,” said Mr. Boffin with a threatening roll of his head.
“I hope so,” returned the Secretary. He was quiet and respectful; but stood, as Bella thought (and was glad to think), on his manhood too.
“Now, sir,” said Mr. Boffin, “look at this young lady on my arm.”
Bella involuntarily raising her eyes, when this sudden reference was made to herself, met those of Mr. Rokesmith. He was pale and seemed agitated. Then her eyes passed on to Mrs. Boffin’s, and she met the look again. In a flash it enlightened her, and she began to understand what she had done.
“I say to you, sir,” Mr. Boffin repeated, “look at this young lady on my arm.”
“I do so,” returned the Secretary.
As his glance rested again on Bella for a moment, she thought there was reproach in it. But it is possible that the reproach was within herself.
“How dare you, sir,” said Mr. Boffin, “tamper, unknown to me, with this young lady? How dare you come out of your station, and your place in my house, to pester this young lady with your impudent addresses?”
“I must decline to answer questions,” said the Secretary, “that are so offensively asked.”
“You decline to answer?” retorted Mr. Boffin. “You decline to answer, do you? Then I’ll tell you what it is, Rokesmith; I’ll answer for you. There are two sides to this matter, and I’ll take ’em separately. The first side is, sheer insolence. That’s the first side.”
The Secretary smiled with some bitterness, as though he would have said, “So I see and hear.”
“It was sheer insolence in you, I tell you,” said Mr. Boffin, “even to think of this young lady. This young lady was far above you. This young lady was no match for you. This young lady was lying in wait (as she was qualified to do) for money, and you had no money.”
Bella hung her head and seemed to shrink a little from Mr. Boffin’s protecting arm.
“What are you, I should like to know,” pursued Mr. Boffin, “that you were to have the audacity to follow up this young lady? This young lady was looking about the market for a good bid; she wasn’t in it to be snapped up by fellows that had no money to lay out; nothing to buy with.”
“Oh, Mr. Boffin! Mrs. Boffin, pray say something for me!” murmured Bella, disengaging her arm, and covering her face with her hands.
“Old lady,” said Mr. Boffin, anticipating his wife, “you hold your tongue. Bella, my dear, don’t you let yourself be put out. I’ll right you.”
“But you don’t, you don’t right me!” exclaimed Bella, with great emphasis. “You wrong me, wrong me!”
“Don’t you be put out, my dear,” complacently retorted Mr. Boffin. “I’ll bring this young man to book. Now, you Rokesmith! You can’t decline to hear, you know, as well as to answer. You hear me tell you
