Dorrit (who held that post) for
the glare, even supposing many to have sought her. So, the Bride had
mounted into her handsome chariot, incidentally accompanied by the
Bridegroom; and after rolling for a few minutes smoothly over a fair
pavement, had begun to jolt through a Slough of Despond, and through a
long, long avenue of wrack and ruin. Other nuptial carriages are said to
have gone the same road, before and since.

If Little Dorrit found herself left a little lonely and a little low
that night, nothing would have done so much against her feeling of
depression as the being able to sit at work by her father, as in the old
time, and help him to his supper and his rest. But that was not to be
thought of now, when they sat in the state-equipage with Mrs General on
the coach-box. And as to supper! If Mr Dorrit had wanted supper, there
was an Italian cook and there was a Swiss confectioner, who must
have put on caps as high as the Pope's Mitre, and have performed the
mysteries of Alchemists in a copper-saucepaned laboratory below, before
he could have got it.

He was sententious and didactic that night. If he had been simply
loving, he would have done Little Dorrit more good; but she accepted him
as he was--when had she not accepted him as he was!--and made the most
and best of him. Mrs General at length retired. Her retirement for the
night was always her frostiest ceremony, as if she felt it necessary
that the human imagination should be chilled into stone to prevent
its following her. When she had gone through her rigid preliminaries,
amounting to a sort of genteel platoon-exercise, she withdrew. Little
Dorrit then put her arm round her father's neck, to bid him good night.

'Amy, my dear,' said Mr Dorrit, taking her by the hand, 'this is the
close of a day, that has--ha--greatly impressed and gratified me.' 'A
little tired you, dear, too?'

'No,' said Mr Dorrit, 'no: I am not sensible of fatigue when it arises
from an occasion so--hum--replete with gratification of the purest
kind.'

Little Dorrit was glad to find him in such heart, and smiled from her
own heart.

'My dear,' he continued, 'this is an occasion--ha--teeming with a good
example. With a good example, my favourite and attached child--hum--to
you.'

Little Dorrit, fluttered by his words, did not know what to say, though
he stopped as if he expected her to say something.

'Amy,' he resumed; 'your dear sister, our Fanny, has contracted
ha hum--a m