in the saddle and watched him as he retired. It was curious to see that
even then Rob could not keep his eyes wholly averted from his patron's
face, but, constantly turning and turning again to look after him'
involved himself in a tempest of buffetings and jostlings from the other
passengers in the street: of which, in the pursuit of the one paramount
idea, he was perfectly heedless.

Mr Carker the Manager rode on at a foot-pace, with the easy air of one
who had performed all the business of the day in a satisfactory manner,
and got it comfortably off his mind. Complacent and affable as man could
be, Mr Carker picked his way along the streets and hummed a soft tune as
he went He seemed to purr, he was so glad.

And in some sort, Mr Carker, in his fancy, basked upon a hearth too.
Coiled up snugly at certain feet, he was ready for a spring, Or for a
tear, or for a scratch, or for a velvet touch, as the humour took him
and occasion served. Was there any bird in a cage, that came in for a
share of his regards?

'A very young lady!' thought Mr Carker the Manager, through his song.
'Ay! when I saw her last, she was a little child. With dark eyes and
hair, I recollect, and a good face; a very good face! I daresay she's
pretty.'

More affable and pleasant yet, and humming his song until his many teeth
vibrated to it, Mr Carker picked his way along, and turned at last into
the shady street where Mr Dombey's house stood. He had been so busy,
winding webs round good faces, and obscuring them with meshes, that he
hardly thought of being at this point of his ride, until, glancing down
the cold perspective of tall houses, he reined in his horse quickly
within a few yards of the door. But to explain why Mr Carker reined in
his horse quickly, and what he looked at in no small surprise, a few
digressive words are necessary.

Mr Toots, emancipated from the Blimber thraldom and coming into the
possession of a certain portion of his worldly wealth, 'which,' as he had
been wont, during his last half-year's probation, to communicate to Mr
Feeder every evening as a new discovery, 'the executors couldn't keep
him out of' had applied himself with great diligence, to the science
of Life. Fired with a noble emulation to pursue a brilliant and
distinguished career, Mr Toots had furnished a choice set of apartments;
had established among them a sporting bower, embellished with the
portraits of winning horses, in which he took no particle of