I thought such a connection wouldn't suit you, Mark, on any terms!'
cried Tom.

'Well, sir! I used to think so myself, once,' said Mark. 'But I ain't so
clear about it now. A dear, sweet creetur, sir!'

'A dear, sweet creature? To be sure she is,' cried Tom. 'But she always
was a dear, sweet creature, was she not?'

'WAS she not!' assented Mr Tapley.

'Then why on earth didn't you marry her at first, Mark, instead of
wandering abroad, and losing all this time, and leaving her alone by
herself, liable to be courted by other people?'

'Why, sir,' retorted Mr Tapley, in a spirit of unbounded confidence,
'I'll tell you how it come about. You know me, Mr Pinch, sir; there
ain't a gentleman alive as knows me better. You're acquainted with my
constitution, and you're acquainted with my weakness. My constitution
is, to be jolly; and my weakness is, to wish to find a credit in it.
Wery good, sir. In this state of mind, I gets a notion in my head that
she looks on me with a eye of--with what you may call a favourable sort
of a eye in fact,' said Mr Tapley, with modest hesitation.

'No doubt,' replied Tom. 'We knew that perfectly well when we spoke on
this subject long ago; before you left the Dragon.'

Mr Tapley nodded assent. 'Well, sir! But bein' at that time full of
hopeful wisions, I arrives at the conclusion that no credit is to be got
out of such a way of life as that, where everything agreeable would be
ready to one's hand. Lookin' on the bright side of human life in short,
one of my hopeful wisions is, that there's a deal of misery awaitin' for
me; in the midst of which I may come out tolerable strong, and be jolly
under circumstances as reflects some credit. I goes into the world, sir,
wery boyant, and I tries this. I goes aboard ship first, and wery soon
discovers (by the ease with which I'm jolly, mind you) as there's no
credit to be got THERE. I might have took warning by this, and gave it
up; but I didn't. I gets to the U-nited States; and then I DO begin, I
won't deny it, to feel some little credit in sustaining my spirits. What
follows? Jest as I'm a-beginning to come out, and am a-treadin' on the
werge, my master deceives me.'

'Deceives you!' cried Tom.

'Swindles me,' retorted Mr Tapley with a beaming face. 'Turns his back
on everything as made his service a creditable one, and leaves me high
and dry, without a leg to stand upon. In which state I returns home.
Wery good. Then all my hopeful wisions bei