m and--what's
that word again--critical?--no--classical, that's it--it's calm and
classical. No low beatings and knockings about, no jokings and
squeakings like your precious Punches, but always the same, with a
constantly unchanging air of coldness and gentility; and so like life,
that if wax-work only spoke and walked about, you'd hardly know the
difference. I won't go so far as to say, that, as it is, I've seen
wax-work quite like life, but I've certainly seen some life that was
exactly like wax-work.'

'Is it here, ma'am?' asked Nell, whose curiosity was awakened by this
description.

'Is what here, child?'

'The wax-work, ma'am.'

'Why, bless you, child, what are you thinking of? How could such a
collection be here, where you see everything except the inside of one
little cupboard and a few boxes? It's gone on in the other wans to the
assembly-rooms, and there it'll be exhibited the day after to-morrow.
You are going to the same town, and you'll see it I dare say. It's
natural to expect that you'll see it, and I've no doubt you will. I
suppose you couldn't stop away if you was to try ever so much.'

'I shall not be in the town, I think, ma'am,' said the child.

'Not there!' cried Mrs Jarley. 'Then where will you be?'

'I--I--don't quite know. I am not certain.'

'You don't mean to say that you're travelling about the country without
knowing where you're going to?' said the lady of the caravan. 'What
curious people you are! What line are you in? You looked to me at the
races, child, as if you were quite out of your element, and had got
there by accident.'

'We were there quite by accident,' returned Nell, confused by this
abrupt questioning. 'We are poor people, ma'am, and are only wandering
about. We have nothing to do;--I wish we had.'

'You amaze me more and more,' said Mrs Jarley, after remaining for some
time as mute as one of her own figures. 'Why, what do you call
yourselves? Not beggars?'

'Indeed, ma'am, I don't know what else we are,' returned the child.

'Lord bless me,' said the lady of the caravan. 'I never heard of such
a thing. Who'd have thought it!'

She remained so long silent after this exclamation, that Nell feared
she felt her having been induced to bestow her protection and
conversation upon one so poor, to be an outrage upon her dignity that
nothing could repair. This persuasion was rather confirmed than
otherwise by the tone in which she at length broke sile