must wait a little longer." Then, when baby was expected, he says, "She
is such a cheerful, glorious housewife that I can't afford to be rich
yet. I must wait a little longer." Then when baby was born, he says,
"She is so much better than she ever was, that I can't afford to be rich
yet. I must wait a little longer." And so he goes on and on, till I says
outright, "Now, John, if you don't fix a time for setting her up in her
own house and home, and letting us walk out of it, I'll turn Informer."
Then he says he'll only wait to triumph beyond what we ever thought
possible, and to show her to us better than even we ever supposed; and
he says, "She shall see me under suspicion of having murdered myself,
and YOU shall see how trusting and how true she'll be." Well! Noddy and
me agreed to that, and he was right, and here you are, and the horses is
in, and the story is done, and God bless you my Beauty, and God bless us
all!'

The pile of hands dispersed, and Bella and Mrs Boffin took a good long
hug of one another: to the apparent peril of the inexhaustible baby,
lying staring in Bella's lap.

'But IS the story done?' said Bella, pondering. 'Is there no more of
it?'

'What more of it should there be, deary?' returned Mrs Boffin, full of
glee.

'Are you sure you have left nothing out of it?' asked Bella.

'I don't think I have,' said Mrs Boffin, archly.

'John dear,' said Bella, 'you're a good nurse; will you please hold
baby?' Having deposited the Inexhaustible in his arms with those words,
Bella looked hard at Mr Boffin, who had moved to a table where he was
leaning his head upon his hand with his face turned away, and, quietly
settling herself on her knees at his side, and drawing one arm over his
shoulder, said: 'Please I beg your pardon, and I made a small mistake of
a word when I took leave of you last. Please I think you are better (not
worse) than Hopkins, better (not worse) than Dancer, better (not worse)
than Blackberry Jones, better (not worse) than any of them! Please
something more!' cried Bella, with an exultant ringing laugh as she
struggled with him and forced him to turn his delighted face to hers.
'Please I have found out something not yet mentioned. Please I don't
believe you are a hard-hearted miser at all, and please I don't believe
you ever for one single minute were!'

At this, Mrs Boffin fairly screamed with rapture, and sat beating her
feet upon the floor, clapping her hands, and bobbing her