umbled roofs, and through
the open tracery of its church towers, struck the long bright rays, bars
of the prison of this lower world.

Throughout the day the old house within the gateway remained untroubled
by any visitors. But, when the sun was low, three men turned in at the
gateway and made for the dilapidated house.

Rigaud was the first, and walked by himself smoking. Mr Baptist was
the second, and jogged close after him, looking at no other object.
Mr Pancks was the third, and carried his hat under his arm for the
liberation of his restive hair; the weather being extremely hot. They
all came together at the door-steps.

'You pair of madmen!' said Rigaud, facing about. 'Don't go yet!'

'We don't mean to,' said Mr Pancks. Giving him a dark glance in
acknowledgment of his answer, Rigaud knocked loudly. He had charged
himself with drink, for the playing out of his game, and was impatient
to begin. He had hardly finished one long resounding knock, when he
turned to the knocker again and began another. That was not yet finished
when Jeremiah Flintwinch opened the door, and they all clanked into the
stone hall. Rigaud, thrusting Mr Flintwinch aside, proceeded straight
up-stairs. His two attendants followed him, Mr Flintwinch followed them,
and they all came trooping into Mrs Clennam's quiet room. It was in its
usual state; except that one of the windows was wide open, and Affery
sat on its old-fashioned window-seat, mending a stocking. The usual
articles were on the little table; the usual deadened fire was in the
grate; the bed had its usual pall upon it; and the mistress of all sat
on her black bier-like sofa, propped up by her black angular bolster
that was like the headsman's block.

Yet there was a nameless air of preparation in the room, as if it were
strung up for an occasion. From what the room derived it--every one of
its small variety of objects being in the fixed spot it had occupied
for years--no one could have said without looking attentively at its
mistress, and that, too, with a previous knowledge of her face. Although
her unchanging black dress was in every plait precisely as of old, and
her unchanging attitude was rigidly preserved, a very slight additional
setting of her features and contraction of her gloomy forehead was so
powerfully marked, that it marked everything about her.

'Who are these?' she said, wonderingly, as the two attendants entered.
'What do these people want here?'

'Who are t