insults. The day, in
the highest and brightest quarters of the town, was damp, dark, cold
and gloomy. In that low and marshy spot, the fog filled every nook and
corner with a thick dense cloud. Every object was obscure at one or
two yards' distance. The warning lights and fires upon the river were
powerless beneath this pall, and, but for a raw and piercing chillness
in the air, and now and then the cry of some bewildered boatman as he
rested on his oars and tried to make out where he was, the river itself
might have been miles away.

The mist, though sluggish and slow to move, was of a keenly searching
kind. No muffling up in furs and broadcloth kept it out. It seemed to
penetrate into the very bones of the shrinking wayfarers, and to rack
them with cold and pains. Everything was wet and clammy to the touch.
The warm blaze alone defied it, and leaped and sparkled merrily. It
was a day to be at home, crowding about the fire, telling stories of
travellers who had lost their way in such weather on heaths and moors;
and to love a warm hearth more than ever.

The dwarf's humour, as we know, was to have a fireside to himself; and
when he was disposed to be convivial, to enjoy himself alone. By no
means insensible to the comfort of being within doors, he ordered Tom
Scott to pile the little stove with coals, and, dismissing his work for
that day, determined to be jovial.

To this end, he lighted up fresh candles and heaped more fuel on the
fire; and having dined off a beefsteak, which he cooked himself in
somewhat of a savage and cannibal-like manner, brewed a great bowl of
hot punch, lighted his pipe, and sat down to spend the evening.

At this moment, a low knocking at the cabin-door arrested his
attention. When it had been twice or thrice repeated, he softly opened
the little window, and thrusting his head out, demanded who was there.

'Only me, Quilp,' replied a woman's voice.

'Only you!' cried the dwarf, stretching his neck to obtain a better
view of his visitor. 'And what brings you here, you jade? How dare
you approach the ogre's castle, eh?'

'I have come with some news,' rejoined his spouse. 'Don't be angry
with me.'

'Is it good news, pleasant news, news to make a man skip and snap his
fingers?' said the dwarf. 'Is the dear old lady dead?'

'I don't know what news it is, or whether it's good or bad,' rejoined
his wife.

'Then she's alive,' said Quilp, 'and there's nothing the matter with