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Little Dorrit Vol.1 f.039 recto
"Well?" “Well?” repeated Mrs FlintwinchFlintwi???, “I setsit methink so. I sits me down and s??? says it. Well!—Jeremiah then says to me, “As to banns, next Sunday being the third time of asking (for I’ve put “em up a fortnight), is my reason for naming Monday. She’ll speak to you about it herself, and now she’ll find you prepared, Affery.” That same day she spoke to me, and she said, “So, Affery, I understand that you and Jeremiah are going to be married. I am glad of it, and so are you, with reason. It is a very good thing for you, and very welcome under the circumstances to me. He is a sensible man, and a trustworthy man, and a persevering man, and a pious man.” What could I say when it had come to that? Why, if it had been—a smothering instead of a wedding,” Mrs Flintwinch cast about in her mind with great pains for this form of expression, “I couldn’t have said a word upon it, against them two clever ones.”
“In good faith, I believe so.”
“And so you may, Arthur.”
“Affery, what girl was that in my mother’s room just now?”
“Girl?” said Mrs Flintwinch in a rather sharp key.
“It was a girl, surely, whom I saw near you—almost hidden in the dark corner?”
“Oh! She? Little Dorrit? She’s nothing; she’s a whim of—hers.” It was a peculiarity of Affery Flintwinch that she never spoke of Mrs Clennam by name. “But there’s another sort of girls than that about. Have you forgot your old sweetheart? Long and long ago, I’ll be bound.”
“I suffered enough from my mother’s separating us, to remember her. I recollect her very well.”
“Have you got another?”
“No.”
“Here’s news for you, then. She’s well to do now, and a widow. And if you like to have her, why you can.”
“And how do you know that, Affery?”
“Them two clever ones have been speaking about it.—There’s Jeremiah on the stairs!” She was gone in a moment.
Mrs Flintwinch had introduced into the web that his mind was busily weaving, in that old workshop where the loom of his youth had stood, the last thread wanting to the pattern. The airy folly of a boy’s love had found its way even into that house, and he had been as wretched under its hopelessness as if the house had been a castle of romance. Little more than a week ago at Marseilles, the face of the pretty girl from whom he had parted with regret, had had an unusual interest for him, and a tender hold upon him, because of some resemblance, real or imagined, to this first face that had soared out of his gloomy life into the bright glories of fancy. He leaned upon the sill of the long low window, and looking out upon the blackened forest of chimneys again, began to dream; for it had been the uniform tendency of this man’s life—so much was wanting in it to think about, so much that might have been better directed
Little Dorrit Vol.1 f.040 recto
and much happier to specula speculate upon — to make him a dreamer, after all. [flourish]
Little Dorrit Vol.1 f.041 recto
Chapt 34.2 CHAPTER IV. Mrs Flintwinch's dream has a dream
When Jeremiah? ?????? Mr Mrs Flintwinch dreamed, he? she usually dreamed, unlike the son of his her old ??? master mistress, with his her eyes shut. He ?ic? ?? nothing? also? with his eyes open but he dreamed with his eyes shut ???? She had ? a very ?singular? ?viv??????? ?? ??? ???? ???? dream that ????? a curiously vivid dream that night, and before she had left [?the son of her old master?] [?before?] the son of her old master mistress many hours. [?Her vision?] It happened in this wise.
The [?night-time? chamber of?] bed-chamber occupied by Mr and Mrs Flintwinch was [?on the same floor as ?? ?? with?] within a few paces of that to which Mrs Clennam had been so long confined. It was not exactly on the same floor, for it was a room at the side of the [?old ?? ???????] house, which was approached by a steep [??? ascent of?] descent of [a ??] a few odd steps, [?but diverged?] diverging from the main staircase opposite nearly opposite to Mrs Clennam’s door. It could [???] [??????] scarcely be said to be within call, the walls were so thick and the [of the old ???? ??? ?????], doors, and panelling [????] of the old place were so cumbrous; but it was within easy reach, in any undress, in any weather at any hour of the night, in any temperature. At Mrs Flintwinch's the head of the bed and within a foot of Mrs Flintwinch’s ear, was a bell, the line of which hung ready to [???? ??????] [??? ???? up?] [?hand?] Mrs Clennam’s hand. Whenever this bell rang, up started Mrs Flintwinch Affery, and [??? ???] [?s?????? into?] was in the sick room in a moment before she was awake.
Having got her mistress into bed, lighted her lamp, and given her good night, [?????] Mrs Flintwinch [???????? ??????? ?took herself to her own room?] [??? Flintwinch ???? ????? ?? ??? ????? ?? ?Affery?] went to roost as usual, saving that her lord had not yet appeared. [Her ???? the ?night? before? ?????] It was her lord himself who became—[???????] unlike the last theme in the mind, [?whether?] according to the [??????? ?????????] [???? of ?????] observation of [?philosophers?] most philosophers [???]—the subject of Affery's Mrs Flintwinch Mrs Flintwinch’s dream.
Affery It seemed to her that she awoke after [?have ???? in ?bed?] sleeping some [?hours?] hours, and [????? ??????? not yet?] [????? ??????] found Jeremiah not yet abed. That she looked at the candle she had left burning, [?and measure?] and, measuring the time like [?the ????] King Alfred the Great, was confirmed by its wasted state [?and ????] in [her ?experience?] her [???] belief that she had been asleep for some considerable time . That she [???? ????????] arose thereupon, muffled herself up in a wrapper, [?put?] put on her shoes, and went out on the staircase, much surprised, [?? ???? ????] [?? ???? ??? ??? ?? ?????? quest of?] to look for Jeremiah.
The staircase was as wooden and solid as need be, and [???? it Mrs Flintwinch] Affery [????? ????? ?????] went straight down it without any of those deviations [?????? ?????? ???] peculiar to dreams. She walked> did not skim over it, but walked down it, and guided herself by the banisters on account of her candle having died out. [In one ??????? of] In one corner of the hall, [?????] behind the [?????] house-door, there was a little waiting-room, like a wellshaft, with a long narrow window in it as if its it had been ripped up. [?A ????? ?? ??????? ??? ??? from?] [???? ?????? ?????] In [???] this [????] [?????] room, which was never used, a light [????] was [????ing] [/g????ing] burning.
Mrs Flintwinch crossed the hall, feeling its pavement cold to her stockingless feet, and [?looked?] peeped in between the rusty hinges on the door, which stood a little open. [?expecting? ???? old?? She expected to ?expecting?] She expected to see Jeremiah fast asleep or [??? ???? ???? ?? ????] [????? ???] in a fit, [?if not dead. Nothing of the kind. He was sitting] but he was calmly seated in a chair, [?????????] awake, and [?awake?] in [?excellent?] his usual health. But what—[oh?] hey?—Lord forgive us!—[???? ????] Mrs Flintwinch [?in?] [???? ????? ??????] muttered something ejaculation [???] to this effect, in her dream and turned [??? ?????] giddy.
For, [???????? ?????? she had an impression that her [???] husband was sitting?]Jeremiah Mr Flintwinch awake, was watching Mr Flintwinch asleep. [?Then he ????? the ????] He sat on one side of the small table, looking [?with his?]keenly at himself on the other side [???] with his [?head?] chin sunk on his breast, snoring. The waking [Flintwinch had ??????????? was?] Flintwinch had his full front face
Little Dorrit Vol.1 f.041 verso
[double line] Chapter I. Mist.
Thirty years ago