Page:Bleak House.djvu/208

 hard upon my noble and learned brother in your meaning, sir ; though, perhaps, it is but nat'ral in a Jarndyce. The burnt child, sir! What, you're looking at my lodger's birds, Mr. Jarndyce ? " The old man had come by little and little into the room, until he now touched my Guardian with his elbow, and looked close up into his face with his spectacled eyes. " It's one of her strange ways, that she'll never tell the names of these birds if she can help it, though she named 'em all." This was in a whisper. " Shall I run 'em over, Flite? " he asked aloud, winking at us and pointing at her as she turned away, affecting to sweep the grate."

" If you like," she answered hurriedly.

The old man, looking up at the cages, after another look at us, went through the list.

" Hope, Joy, Youth, Peace, Rest, Life, Dust, Ashes, Waste, Want, Ruin, Despair, Madness, Death, Cunning, Polly, Words, Wigs, Rags, Sheepskin, Plunder, Precedent, Jargon, Gammon, and Spinach. That's the whole collection," said the old man, " all cooped up together, by my noble and learned brother."

"This is a bitter wind ! " muttered my Guardian.

" When my noble and learned brother gives his Judgment, they're to be let go free," said Krook, winking at us again. " And then," he added, whispering and grinning, " if that ever was to happen—which it won't—the birds that have never been caged would kill 'em."

" If ever the wind was in the east," said my Guardian, pretending to look out of the window for a weathercock, " I think it's there to-day ! " We found it very difficult to get away from the house. It was not Miss Flite who detained us ; she was as reasonable a little creature in consulting the convenience of others, as there possibly could be. It was Mr. Krook. He seemed unable to detach himself from Mr. Jarndyce. If he had been linked to him, he could hardly have attended him more closely. He proposed to show us his Court of Chancery, and all the strange medley it contained ; during the whole of our inspection (prolonged by himself) he kept close to Mr. Jarndyce, and sometimes detained him, under one pretence or other, until we had passed on, as if he were tormented by an inclination to enter upon some secret subject, which he could not make up his mind to approach. I cannot imagine a countenance and manner more singularly expressive of caution and indecision, and a perpetual impulse to do something he could not resolve to venture on, than Mr. Krook's was, that day. His watchfulness of my Guardian was incessant. He rarely removed his eyes from his face. If he went on beside him, he observed him with the slyness of an old white fox. If he went before, he looked back. When we stood still, he got opposite to him, and drawing his hand across and across his open mouth with a curious expression of a sense of power, and turning up his eyes, and lowering his grey eyebrows until they appeared to be shut, seemed to scan every lineament of his face.

At last, having been (always attended by the cat) all over the house, and having seen the whole stock of miscellaneous lumber, which was certainly curious, we came into the back part of the shop. Here, on the head of an empty barrel stood on end, were an ink-bottle, some old stumps of pens, and some dirty playbills ; and, against the wall, were pasted several large printed alphabets in several plain hands.