s till you
see Dan. I assure you Dan is directing works and executing labours over
yonder, that it would make your hair stand on end to look at. He's no
public offender, bless you, now! He's medalled and ribboned, and starred
and crossed, and I don't-know-what all'd, like a born nobleman. But we
mustn't talk about that over here.'

'Why not?'

'Oh, egad!' said Mr Meagles, shaking his head very seriously, 'he must
hide all those things under lock and key when he comes over here. They
won't do over here. In that particular, Britannia is a Britannia in the
Manger--won't give her children such distinctions herself, and won't
allow them to be seen when they are given by other countries. No, no,
Dan!' said Mr Meagles, shaking his head again. 'That won't do here!'

'If you had brought me (except for Doyce's sake) twice what I have
lost,' cried Arthur, 'you would not have given me the pleasure that you
give me in this news.' 'Why, of course, of course,' assented Mr Meagles.
'Of course I know that, my good fellow, and therefore I come out with
it in the first burst. Now, to go back, about catching Doyce. I caught
Doyce. Ran against him among a lot of those dirty brown dogs in women's
nightcaps a great deal too big for 'em, calling themselves Arabs and all
sorts of incoherent races. YOU know 'em! Well! He was coming straight to
me, and I was going to him, and so we came back together.'

'Doyce in England!' exclaimed Arthur.

'There!' said Mr Meagles, throwing open his arms. 'I am the worst man
in the world to manage a thing of this sort. I don't know what I should
have done if I had been in the diplomatic line--right, perhaps! The long
and short of it is, Arthur, we have both been in England this fortnight.
And if you go on to ask where Doyce is at the present moment, why, my
plain answer is--here he is! And now I can breathe again at last!'

Doyce darted in from behind the door, caught Arthur by both hands, and
said the rest for himself.

'There are only three branches of my subject, my dear Clennam,' said
Doyce, proceeding to mould them severally, with his plastic thumb, on
the palm of his hand, 'and they're soon disposed of. First, not a word
more from you about the past. There was an error in your calculations.
I know what that is. It affects the whole machine, and failure is the
consequence. You will profit by the failure, and will avoid it another
time. I have done a similar thing myself, in construction, often. Ever