John Harmon drew the
breath of life on earth, that is certainly John Harmon's arm round your
waist now, my pretty. If ever John Harmon had a wife on earth, that wife
is certainly you. If ever John Harmon and his wife had a child on earth,
that child is certainly this.'

By a master-stroke of secret arrangement, the inexhaustible baby here
appeared at the door, suspended in mid-air by invisible agency. Mrs
Boffin, plunging at it, brought it to Bella's lap, where both Mrs and Mr
Boffin (as the saying is) 'took it out of' the Inexhaustible in a shower
of caresses. It was only this timely appearance that kept Bella from
swooning. This, and her husband's earnestness in explaining further to
her how it had come to pass that he had been supposed to be slain, and
had even been suspected of his own murder; also, how he had put a pious
fraud upon her which had preyed upon his mind, as the time for its
disclosure approached, lest she might not make full allowance for
the object with which it had originated, and in which it had fully
developed.

'But bless ye, my beauty!' cried Mrs Boffin, taking him up short at this
point, with another hearty clap of her hands. 'It wasn't John only that
was in it. We was all of us in it.'

'I don't,' said Bella, looking vacantly from one to another, 'yet
understand--'

'Of course you don't, my deary,' exclaimed Mrs Boffin. 'How can you till
you're told! So now I am a going to tell you. So you put your two hands
between my two hands again,' cried the comfortable creature, embracing
her, 'with that blessed little picter lying on your lap, and you shall
be told all the story. Now, I'm a going to tell the story. Once, twice,
three times, and the horses is off. Here they go! When I cries out that
night, "I know you now, you're John! "--which was my exact words; wasn't
they, John?'

'Your exact words,' said John, laying his hand on hers.

'That's a very good arrangement,' cried Mrs Boffin. 'Keep it there,
John. And as we was all of us in it, Noddy you come and lay yours a top
of his, and we won't break the pile till the story's done.'

Mr Boffin hitched up a chair, and added his broad brown right hand to
the heap.

'That's capital!' said Mrs Boffin, giving it a kiss. 'Seems quite a
family building; don't it? But the horses is off. Well! When I cries
out that night, "I know you now! you're John!" John catches of me, it
is true; but I ain't a light weight, bless ye, and he's forced to let me
d