. I know it too well.'

''E see you?' asked Mrs Plornish.

'No. I hope not. I believe not.'

'He says,' Mrs Plornish then interpreted, addressing her father and
Pancks with mild condescension, 'that he has met a bad man, but he hopes
the bad man didn't see him--Why,' inquired Mrs Plornish, reverting to
the Italian language, 'why ope bad man no see?'

'Padrona, dearest,' returned the little foreigner whom she so
considerately protected, 'do not ask, I pray. Once again I say it
matters not. I have fear of this man. I do not wish to see him, I do not
wish to be known of him--never again! Enough, most beautiful. Leave it.'

The topic was so disagreeable to him, and so put his usual liveliness to
the rout, that Mrs Plornish forbore to press him further: the rather as
the tea had been drawing for some time on the hob. But she was not the
less surprised and curious for asking no more questions; neither was
Mr Pancks, whose expressive breathing had been labouring hard since the
entrance of the little man, like a locomotive engine with a great load
getting up a steep incline. Maggy, now better dressed than of yore,
though still faithful to the monstrous character of her cap, had been
in the background from the first with open mouth and eyes, which staring
and gaping features were not diminished in breadth by the untimely
suppression of the subject. However, no more was said about it, though
much appeared to be thought on all sides: by no means excepting the two
young Plornishes, who partook of the evening meal as if their eating
the bread and butter were rendered almost superfluous by the painful
probability of the worst of men shortly presenting himself for the
purpose of eating them. Mr Baptist, by degrees began to chirp a little;
but never stirred from the seat he had taken behind the door and close
to the window, though it was not his usual place. As often as the little
bell rang, he started and peeped out secretly, with the end of the
little curtain in his hand and the rest before his face; evidently not
at all satisfied but that the man he dreaded had tracked him through all
his doublings and turnings, with the certainty of a terrible bloodhound.

The entrance, at various times, of two or three customers and of Mr
Plornish, gave Mr Baptist just enough of this employment to keep the
attention of the company fixed upon him. Tea was over, and the children
were abed, and Mrs Plornish was feeling her way to the dutiful pro