e Dorrit, and heightened the relief they afforded her.

'Amy,' said Fanny to her one night when they were alone, after a day so
tiring that Little Dorrit was quite worn out, though Fanny would have
taken another dip into society with the greatest pleasure in life, 'I
am going to put something into your little head. You won't guess what it
is, I suspect.'

'I don't think that's likely, dear,' said Little Dorrit.

'Come, I'll give you a clue, child,' said Fanny. 'Mrs General.'

Prunes and Prism, in a thousand combinations, having been wearily in the
ascendant all day--everything having been surface and varnish and show
without substance--Little Dorrit looked as if she had hoped that Mrs
General was safely tucked up in bed for some hours.

'Now, can you guess, Amy?' said Fanny.

'No, dear. Unless I have done anything,' said Little Dorrit, rather
alarmed, and meaning anything calculated to crack varnish and ruffle
surface.

Fanny was so very much amused by the misgiving, that she took up her
favourite fan (being then seated at her dressing-table with her armoury
of cruel instruments about her, most of them reeking from the heart
of Sparkler), and tapped her sister frequently on the nose with it,
laughing all the time.

'Oh, our Amy, our Amy!' said Fanny. 'What a timid little goose our Amy
is! But this is nothing to laugh at. On the contrary, I am very cross,
my dear.'

'As it is not with me, Fanny, I don't mind,' returned her sister,
smiling.

'Ah! But I do mind,' said Fanny, 'and so will you, Pet, when I enlighten
you. Amy, has it never struck you that somebody is monstrously polite to
Mrs General?'

'Everybody is polite to Mrs General,' said Little Dorrit. 'Because--'

'Because she freezes them into it?' interrupted Fanny. 'I don't mean
that; quite different from that. Come! Has it never struck you, Amy,
that Pa is monstrously polite to Mrs General.'

Amy, murmuring 'No,' looked quite confounded. 'No; I dare say not. But
he is,' said Fanny. 'He is, Amy. And remember my words. Mrs General has
designs on Pa!'

'Dear Fanny, do you think it possible that Mrs General has designs on
any one?'

'Do I think it possible?' retorted Fanny. 'My love, I know it. I tell
you she has designs on Pa. And more than that, I tell you Pa considers
her such a wonder, such a paragon of accomplishment, and such an
acquisition to our family, that he is ready to get himself into a state
of perfect infatuation with her at any mom