warf, 'for I came, in fact, to ask you
about him. A thought has occurred to me, Dick; your friend over the
way--'

'Which friend?'

'In the first floor.'

'Yes?'

'Your friend in the first floor, Dick, may know him.'

'No, he don't,' said Mr Swiveller, shaking his head.

'Don't! No, because he has never seen him,' rejoined Quilp; 'but if we
were to bring them together, who knows, Dick, but Fred, properly
introduced, would serve his turn almost as well as little Nell or her
grandfather--who knows but it might make the young fellow's fortune,
and, through him, yours, eh?'

'Why, the fact is, you see,' said Mr Swiveller, 'that they HAVE been
brought together.'

'Have been!' cried the dwarf, looking suspiciously at his companion.
'Through whose means?' 'Through mine,' said Dick, slightly confused.
'Didn't I mention it to you the last time you called over yonder?'

'You know you didn't,' returned the dwarf.

'I believe you're right,' said Dick. 'No. I didn't, I recollect. Oh
yes, I brought 'em together that very day. It was Fred's suggestion.'

'And what came of it?'

'Why, instead of my friend's bursting into tears when he knew who Fred
was, embracing him kindly, and telling him that he was his grandfather,
or his grandmother in disguise (which we fully expected), he flew into
a tremendous passion; called him all manner of names; said it was in a
great measure his fault that little Nell and the old gentleman had ever
been brought to poverty; didn't hint at our taking anything to drink;
and--and in short rather turned us out of the room than otherwise.'

'That's strange,' said the dwarf, musing.

'So we remarked to each other at the time,' returned Dick coolly, 'but
quite true.'

Quilp was plainly staggered by this intelligence, over which he brooded
for some time in moody silence, often raising his eyes to Mr
Swiveller's face, and sharply scanning its expression. As he could
read in it, however, no additional information or anything to lead him
to believe he had spoken falsely; and as Mr Swiveller, left to his own
meditations, sighed deeply, and was evidently growing maudlin on the
subject of Mrs Cheggs; the dwarf soon broke up the conference and took
his departure, leaving the bereaved one to his melancholy ruminations.

'Have been brought together, eh?' said the dwarf as he walked the
streets alone. 'My friend has stolen a march upon me. It led him to
nothing, and therefore is no great matter