登陆注册
5393400000348

第348章

'Oh, egad!' said Mr Meagles, shaking his head very seriously, 'he must hide all those things under lock and key when he comes over here. They won't do over here. In that particular, Britannia is a Britannia in the Manger--won't give her children such distinctions herself, and won't allow them to be seen when they are given by other countries. No, no, Dan!' said Mr Meagles, shaking his head again. 'That won't do here!'

'If you had brought me (except for Doyce's sake) twice what I have lost,' cried Arthur, 'you would not have given me the pleasure that you give me in this news.'

'Why, of course, of course,' assented Mr Meagles. 'Of course Iknow that, my good fellow, and therefore I come out with it in the first burst. Now, to go back, about catching Doyce. I caught Doyce. Ran against him among a lot of those dirty brown dogs in women's nightcaps a great deal too big for 'em, calling themselves Arabs and all sorts of incoherent races. YOU know 'em! Well! He was coming straight to me, and I was going to him, and so we came back together.'

'Doyce in England!' exclaimed Arthur.

'There!' said Mr Meagles, throwing open his arms. 'I am the worst man in the world to manage a thing of this sort. I don't know what I should have done if I had been in the diplomatic line--right, perhaps! The long and short of it is, Arthur, we have both been in England this fortnight. And if you go on to ask where Doyce is at the present moment, why, my plain answer is--here he is! And now I can breathe again at last!'

Doyce darted in from behind the door, caught Arthur by both hands, and said the rest for himself.

'There are only three branches of my subject, my dear Clennam,'said Doyce, proceeding to mould them severally, with his plastic thumb, on the palm of his hand, 'and they're soon disposed of.

First, not a word more from you about the past. There was an error in your calculations. I know what that is. It affects the whole machine, and failure is the consequence. You will profit by the failure, and will avoid it another time. I have done a similar thing myself, in construction, often. Every failure teaches a man something, if he will learn; and you are too sensible a man not to learn from this failure. So much for firstly. Secondly. I was sorry you should have taken it so heavily to heart, and reproached yourself so severely; I was travelling home night and day to put matters right, with the assistance of our friend, when I fell in with our friend as he has informed you. Thirdly. We two agreed, that, after what you had undergone, after your distress of mind, and after your illness, it would be a pleasant surprise if we could so far keep quiet as to get things perfectly arranged without your knowledge, and then come and say that all the affairs were smooth, that everything was right, that the business stood in greater want of you than ever it did, and that a new and prosperous career was opened before you and me as partners. That's thirdly. But you know we always make an allowance for friction, and so I have reserved space to close in. My dear Clennam, I thoroughly confide in you; you have it in your power to be quite as useful to me as Ihave, or have had, it in my power to be useful to you; your old place awaits you, and wants you very much; there is nothing to detain you here one half-hour longer.'

There was silence, which was not broken until Arthur had stood for some time at the window with his back towards them, and until his little wife that was to be had gone to him and stayed by him.

'I made a remark a little while ago,' said Daniel Doyce then, 'which I am inclined to think was an incorrect one. I said there was nothing to detain you here, Clennam, half an hour longer. Am I mistaken in supposing that you would rather not leave here till to-morrow morning? Do I know, without being very wise, where you would like to go, direct from these walls and from this room?'

'You do,' returned Arthur. 'It has been our cherished purpose.'

'Very well!' said Doyce. 'Then, if this young lady will do me the honour of regarding me for four-and-twenty hours in the light of a father, and will take a ride with me now towards Saint Paul's Churchyard, I dare say I know what we want to get there.'

Little Dorrit and he went out together soon afterwards, and Mr Meagles lingered behind to say a word to his friend.

同类推荐
  • 犍稚梵赞

    犍稚梵赞

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Jasmin

    Jasmin

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 非诗辨妄

    非诗辨妄

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • The Conquest of Canaan

    The Conquest of Canaan

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 诸真歌颂

    诸真歌颂

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 清风拂过杨柳依依

    清风拂过杨柳依依

    “你到底是谁?”“反正我们再也不会见面了,为何要告诉你。”她和他,意外相见,擦身而过,但缘分不会如此......
  • 我喜欢的你都有

    我喜欢的你都有

    【已签约出版】本是一场各取所需的交易,孩子生下来后,他却不满的撕了协议,“谁说只生一个的,我说的是要双胞胎、龙凤胎,生不出来成双成对的就给我继续生”。洛桑忍无可忍:“年均霆,你大爷的……”。她奋起反抗:“年均霆,你对得起你心里的白月光吗”。再后来,一本结婚证丢在她身上。他慢慢勾唇:“我的白月光不就是你吗”
  • 霸道萌宝宝:首席靠边站

    霸道萌宝宝:首席靠边站

    “于海诺,你永远是于向成一个人的。”这是一个六岁的天才宝宝对自己的妈咪的宣誓。“夏安迪,不准和我抢于海诺,要女人自己去勾引,就是不准勾引于海诺。”这是一个六岁的天才宝宝对自己的精子总裁老爸的宣战。“于向成,不准和我抢老婆。”这是一个腹黑总裁爹地对不承认自己是他老爸的儿子的宣誓。“于海诺,你为什么要生下这个臭小子,让他霸占你所有的时间。”这是一个即将离婚夫妻的老公对自己老婆的抱怨。
  • 天域神尊

    天域神尊

    顿悟七年,开启无上道魂,灭皇城,踏天才,为寻茫茫大道。战远古六族,为红颜,一人一剑,傲战群雄。
  • 绝命风水师

    绝命风水师

    风水养人,亦可伤人。我家世代都是做风水先生的,祖上留下两条古怪的规矩,违背规矩的人只有死路一条。太爷和爷爷先后离世,同样的命运落在我的头上……
  • 唤醒大脑的巨人

    唤醒大脑的巨人

    人的八种智能的潜力十分巨大,也不是一成不变的。目前在学校里常用语言智能和数学、逻辑智能考核学生。学者们对事业成功者的研究发现:事业成功者大多是右脑功能较强者,右半脑起着控制行为、产生情感、艺术欣赏的作用。是发明创造的源泉。甚至有人提出:“人脑有80%的潜能为开发.而开发的重点是右脑。”只有左右脑平衡、沟通和互补,才能最大限度地利用人脑的潜能,左右脑功能开发得都比较好的人是最聪明的人。
  • 相逢情未晚

    相逢情未晚

    三年前,她在医院产下一子,还未来得及看一眼,就被告知孩子夭折。三年后,她被人陷害入狱,身陷杀父之疑,成为人们眼中的恶女。在被折磨得奄奄一息时,他出现了,问:“想出去?”她睁大双眼猛地点头。“三天后我再来找你。”三天后,他来找她,“想出去的话,条件就是做我的情人。”“你为什么要帮我?”“因为只有我,没人敢帮你!”为了能够出去找到陷害她,杀害她的人,她答应做他的情人。他不但帮她摆脱了牢狱之灾,还让她重获自由,却也从此沦为他的情人。她从不干涉他的私生活,清楚自己的身份,然而在不知不觉中爱上了他。
  • 谁砸了他的饭碗

    谁砸了他的饭碗

    尹守国,2006年开始小说创作,发表中短篇小说70多万字,作品多次被《新华文摘》、《小说选刊》、《北京文学中篇小说月报》等选载,中国作家协会会员,辽宁省作协签约作家。
  • 万界最强皇帝

    万界最强皇帝

    诸天万界,谁主沉浮?亿万世界,万族林立,诸圣霸世,无上运朝横扫八荒,功德圣地横跨万界,大世来临,妖孽横行,天骄不断,赢齐携最强皇帝系统而来,召文臣唤武将,铸最强运朝,成最强皇帝。【书友交流QQ群:126567500】
  • 开放你的思路(全集)

    开放你的思路(全集)

    思路就是解决问题的思维路径或者说模式。我们每天都面临许多不确定的事情,如何在不确定状况下,形成有效解决问题的思路,是个人价值的提升之道!只有明确的思路,才能做出正确的事情。