before I knew where I was? Wasn't the
experience of Dancer, and Elwes, and Hopkins, and Blewbury Jones, and
ever so many more of 'em, similar to mine? Didn't everybody want to make
grabs at what they'd got, and bring 'em to poverty and ruin? Weren't
they forced to hide everything belonging to 'em, for fear it should be
snatched from 'em? Of course they was. I shall be told next that they
didn't know human natur!'

'They! Poor creatures,' murmured the Secretary.

'What do you say?' asked Mr Boffin, snapping at him. 'However, you
needn't be at the trouble of repeating it, for it ain't worth hearing,
and won't go down with ME. I'm a-going to unfold your plan, before this
young lady; I'm a-going to show this young lady the second view of you;
and nothing you can say will stave it off. (Now, attend here, Bella, my
dear.) Rokesmith, you're a needy chap. You're a chap that I pick up in
the street. Are you, or ain't you?'

'Go on, Mr Boffin; don't appeal to me.'

'Not appeal to YOU,' retorted Mr Boffin as if he hadn't done so. 'No,
I should hope not! Appealing to YOU, would be rather a rum course. As I
was saying, you're a needy chap that I pick up in the street. You come
and ask me in the street to take you for a Secretary, and I take you.
Very good.'

'Very bad,' murmured the Secretary.

'What do you say?' asked Mr Boffin, snapping at him again.

He returned no answer. Mr Boffin, after eyeing him with a comical look
of discomfited curiosity, was fain to begin afresh.

'This Rokesmith is a needy young man that I take for my Secretary out
of the open street. This Rokesmith gets acquainted with my affairs, and
gets to know that I mean to settle a sum of money on this young lady.
"Oho!" says this Rokesmith;' here Mr Boffin clapped a finger against
his nose, and tapped it several times with a sneaking air, as embodying
Rokesmith confidentially confabulating with his own nose; '"This will
be a good haul; I'll go in for this!" And so this Rokesmith, greedy and
hungering, begins a-creeping on his hands and knees towards the money.
Not so bad a speculation either: for if this young lady had had less
spirit, or had had less sense, through being at all in the romantic
line, by George he might have worked it out and made it pay! But
fortunately she was too many for him, and a pretty figure he cuts now
he is exposed. There he stands!' said Mr Boffin, addressing Rokesmith
himself with ridiculous inconsistency. 'Look at him!'

'