admiration! Not considered! All left out of sight! Hah!"

"You had best not interrupt me," said the Carrier with some sternness,
"till you understand me; and you're wide of doing so. If, yesterday, I'd
have struck that man down at a blow, who dared to breathe a word against
her, to-day I'd set my foot upon his face, if he was my brother!"

The toy merchant gazed at him in astonishment. He went on in a softer
tone:

"Did I consider," said the Carrier, "that I took her--at her age, and
with her beauty--from her young companions, and the many scenes of which
she was the ornament; in which she was the brightest little star that
ever shone, to shut her up from day to day in my dull house, and keep my
tedious company? Did I consider how little suited I was to her sprightly
humour, and how wearisome a plodding man like me must be to one of her
quick spirit? Did I consider that it was no merit in me, or claim in me,
that I loved her, when everybody must who knew her? Never. I took
advantage of her hopeful nature and her cheerful disposition; and I
married her. I wish I never had! For her sake; not for mine!"

The toy merchant gazed at him without winking. Even the half-shut eye
was open now.

"Heaven bless her!" said the Carrier, "for the cheerful constancy with
which she has tried to keep the knowledge of this from me! And Heaven
help me, that, in my slow mind, I have not found it out before! Poor
child! Poor Dot! _I_ not to find it out, who have seen her eyes fill
with tears when such a marriage as our own was spoken of! I, who have
seen the secret trembling on her lips a hundred times, and never
suspected it, till last night! Poor girl! That I could ever hope she
would be fond of me! That I could ever believe she was!"

"She made a show of it," said Tackleton. "She made such a show of it,
that, to tell you the truth, it was the origin of my misgivings."

And here he asserted the superiority of May Fielding, who certainly made
no sort of show of being fond of _him_.

"She has tried," said the poor Carrier with greater emotion than he had
exhibited yet; "I only now begin to know how hard she has tried, to be
my dutiful and zealous wife. How good she has been; how much she has
done; how brave and strong a heart she has; let the happiness I have
known under this roof bear witness! It will be some help and comfort to
me when I am here alone."

"Here alone?" said Tackleton. "Oh! Then you do mean to take some notice
of th