Page:Dickens - Our Mutual Friend, ed. Lang, 1897, vol.1.djvu/56

 with a searching look (not the first he had cast) at the stranger.

Mr. Lightwood explained that it was no friend of his.

" Indeed?" said Mr. Inspector, with an attentive ear; " where did you pick him up? "

Mr. Lightwood explained further.

Mr. Inspector had delivered his summing up, and had added these words, with his elbows leaning on his desk, and the fingers and thumb of his right hand, fitting themselves to the fingers and thumb of his left. Mr. Inspector moved nothing but his eyes, as he now added, raising his voice:

" Turned you faint, sir! Seems you're not accustomed to this kind of work? "

The stranger, who was leaning against the chimney-piece with drooping head, looked round and answered,

" No. It's a horrible sight!"

" You expected to identify, I am told, sir?"

" Yes."

" Have you identified? "

" No. It's a horrible sight. O! a horrible, horrible sight! "

" Who did you think it might have been?" asked Mr. Inspector. " Give us a description, sir. Perhaps we can help you."

" No, no," said the stranger; " it would be quite useless. Good night."

Mr. Inspector had not moved, and had given no order; but, the satellite slipped his back against the wicket, and laid his left arm along the top of it, and with his right hand turned the bull's-eye he had taken from his chief—in quite a casual manner—towards the stranger.

" You missed a friend, you know; or you missed a foe, you know; or you wouldn't have come here, you know. Well, then; ain't it reasonable to ask, who was it?" Thus, Mr. Inspector.

" You must excuse my telling you. No class of man can understand better than you, that families may not choose to