man said yes; and as they passed in, looked at Paul as if he were a
little mouse, and the house were a trap. He was a weak-eyed young man,
with the first faint streaks or early dawn of a grin on his countenance.
It was mere imbecility; but Mrs Pipchin took it into her head that it
was impudence, and made a snap at him directly.

'How dare you laugh behind the gentleman's back?' said Mrs Pipchin. 'And
what do you take me for?'

'I ain't a laughing at nobody, and I'm sure I don't take you for
nothing, Ma'am,' returned the young man, in consternation.

'A pack of idle dogs!' said Mrs Pipchin, 'only fit to be turnspits. Go
and tell your master that Mr Dombey's here, or it'll be worse for you!'

The weak-eyed young man went, very meekly, to discharge himself of this
commission; and soon came back to invite them to the Doctor's study.

'You're laughing again, Sir,' said Mrs Pipchin, when it came to her
turn, bringing up the rear, to pass him in the hall.

'I ain't,' returned the young man, grievously oppressed. 'I never see
such a thing as this!'

'What is the matter, Mrs Pipchin?' said Mr Dombey, looking round.
'Softly! Pray!'

Mrs Pipchin, in her deference, merely muttered at the young man as she
passed on, and said, 'Oh! he was a precious fellow'--leaving the young
man, who was all meekness and incapacity, affected even to tears by the
incident. But Mrs Pipchin had a way of falling foul of all meek people;
and her friends said who could wonder at it, after the Peruvian mines!

The Doctor was sitting in his portentous study, with a globe at each
knee, books all round him, Homer over the door, and Minerva on the
mantel-shelf. 'And how do you do, Sir?' he said to Mr Dombey, 'and how
is my little friend?' Grave as an organ was the Doctor's speech; and
when he ceased, the great clock in the hall seemed (to Paul at least) to
take him up, and to go on saying, 'how, is, my, lit, tle, friend? how,
is, my, lit, tle, friend?' over and over and over again.

The little friend being something too small to be seen at all from where
the Doctor sat, over the books on his table, the Doctor made several
futile attempts to get a view of him round the legs; which Mr Dombey
perceiving, relieved the Doctor from his embarrassment by taking Paul up
in his arms, and sitting him on another little table, over against the
Doctor, in the middle of the room.

'Ha!' said the Doctor, leaning back in his chair with his hand in his
breast. 'Now