ut of
his chair after tea to bid the pensioner good-bye, on his intimating
that he feared, honoured sir, his time was running out, he made himself
look as erect and strong as possible.

'We don't call this a shilling, Nandy, you know,' he said, putting one
in his hand. 'We call it tobacco.'

'Honoured sir, I thank you. It shall buy tobacco. My thanks and duty to
Miss Amy and Miss Fanny. I wish you good night, Mr Clennam.'

'And mind you don't forget us, you know, Nandy,' said the Father. 'You
must come again, mind, whenever you have an afternoon. You must not come
out without seeing us, or we shall be jealous. Good night, Nandy. Be
very careful how you descend the stairs, Nandy; they are rather uneven
and worn.' With that he stood on the landing, watching the old man down:
and when he came into the room again, said, with a solemn satisfaction
on him, 'A melancholy sight that, Mr Clennam, though one has the
consolation of knowing that he doesn't feel it himself. The poor old
fellow is a dismal wreck. Spirit broken and gone--pulverised--crushed
out of him, sir, completely!'

As Clennam had a purpose in remaining, he said what he could responsive
to these sentiments, and stood at the window with their enunciator,
while Maggy and her Little Mother washed the tea-service and cleared it
away. He noticed that his companion stood at the window with the air of
an affable and accessible Sovereign, and that, when any of his people in
the yard below looked up, his recognition of their salutes just stopped
short of a blessing.

When Little Dorrit had her work on the table, and Maggy hers on the
bedstead, Fanny fell to tying her bonnet as a preliminary to her
departure. Arthur, still having his purpose, still remained. At this
time the door opened, without any notice, and Mr Tip came in. He kissed
Amy as she started up to meet him, nodded to Fanny, nodded to his
father, gloomed on the visitor without further recognition, and sat
down.

'Tip, dear,' said Little Dorrit, mildly, shocked by this, 'don't you
see--'

'Yes, I see, Amy. If you refer to the presence of any visitor you have
here--I say, if you refer to that,' answered Tip, jerking his head with
emphasis towards his shoulder nearest Clennam, 'I see!'

'Is that all you say?'

'That's all I say. And I suppose,' added the lofty young man, after a
moment's pause, 'that visitor will understand me, when I say that's all
I say. In short, I suppose the visitor will unders