curious way of looking everywhere while they
chattered.

Just as the sisters arrived here, a monotonous boy in a Scotch cap put
his head round a beam on the left, and said, 'Less noise there, ladies!'
and disappeared. Immediately after which, a sprightly gentleman with a
quantity of long black hair looked round a beam on the right, and said,
'Less noise there, darlings!' and also disappeared.

'The notion of you among professionals, Amy, is really the last thing
I could have conceived!' said her sister. 'Why, how did you ever get
here?'

'I don't know. The lady who told you I was here, was so good as to bring
me in.'

'Like you quiet little things! You can make your way anywhere, I
believe. I couldn't have managed it, Amy, though I know so much more of
the world.'

It was the family custom to lay it down as family law, that she was a
plain domestic little creature, without the great and sage experience of
the rest. This family fiction was the family assertion of itself against
her services. Not to make too much of them.

'Well! And what have you got on your mind, Amy? Of course you have
got something on your mind about me?' said Fanny. She spoke as if her
sister, between two and three years her junior, were her prejudiced
grandmother.

'It is not much; but since you told me of the lady who gave you the
bracelet, Fanny--'

The monotonous boy put his head round the beam on the left, and said,
'Look out there, ladies!' and disappeared. The sprightly gentleman with
the black hair as suddenly put his head round the beam on the right, and
said, 'Look out there, darlings!' and also disappeared. Thereupon all
the young ladies rose and began shaking their skirts out behind.

'Well, Amy?' said Fanny, doing as the rest did; 'what were you going to
say?'

'Since you told me a lady had given you the bracelet you showed me,
Fanny, I have not been quite easy on your account, and indeed want to
know a little more if you will confide more to me.'

'Now, ladies!' said the boy in the Scotch cap. 'Now, darlings!' said the
gentleman with the black hair. They were every one gone in a moment, and
the music and the dancing feet were heard again.

Little Dorrit sat down in a golden chair, made quite giddy by these
rapid interruptions. Her sister and the rest were a long time gone; and
during their absence a voice (it appeared to be that of the gentleman
with the black hair) was continually calling out through the music,
'One,