of the dog--is it--is it--is it?' And with every repetition of the
question, he battered the great image, until the perspiration streamed
down his face with the violence of the exercise.

Although this might have been a very comical thing to look at from a
secure gallery, as a bull-fight is found to be a comfortable spectacle
by those who are not in the arena, and a house on fire is better than a
play to people who don't live near it, there was something in the
earnestness of Mr Quilp's manner which made his legal adviser feel that
the counting-house was a little too small, and a deal too lonely, for
the complete enjoyment of these humours. Therefore, he stood as far
off as he could, while the dwarf was thus engaged; whimpering out but
feeble applause; and when Quilp left off and sat down again from pure
exhaustion, approached with more obsequiousness than ever.

'Excellent indeed!' cried Brass. 'He he! Oh, very good Sir. You
know,' said Sampson, looking round as if in appeal to the bruised
animal, 'he's quite a remarkable man--quite!'

'Sit down,' said the dwarf. 'I bought the dog yesterday. I've been
screwing gimlets into him, and sticking forks in his eyes, and cutting
my name on him. I mean to burn him at last.'

'Ha ha!' cried Brass. 'Extremely entertaining, indeed!'

'Come here,' said Quilp, beckoning him to draw near. 'What's
injudicious, hey?'

'Nothing Sir--nothing. Scarcely worth mentioning Sir; but I thought
that song--admirably humorous in itself you know--was perhaps rather--'

'Yes,' said Quilp, 'rather what?'

'Just bordering, or as one may say remotely verging, upon the confines
of injudiciousness perhaps, Sir,' returned Brass, looking timidly at
the dwarf's cunning eyes, which were turned towards the fire and
reflected its red light.

'Why?' inquired Quilp, without looking up.

'Why, you know, sir,' returned Brass, venturing to be more familiar:
'--the fact is, sir, that any allusion to these little combinings
together, of friends, for objects in themselves extremely laudable, but
which the law terms conspiracies, are--you take me, sir?--best kept
snug and among friends, you know.'

'Eh!' said Quilp, looking up with a perfectly vacant countenance.
'What do you mean?'

'Cautious, exceedingly cautious, very right and proper!' cried Brass,
nodding his head. 'Mum, sir, even here--my meaning, sir, exactly.'

'YOUR meaning exactly, you brazen scarecrow,--what's your meaning?'
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