report no person of that name known, nor never heard of here; observe them orders, will you?"

"I'll take care, Captain," returned Rob.

"You might say-if you liked," hesitated the Captain, "that you'd read in the paper that a Cap'en of that name was gone to Australia, emigrating, along with a whole ship's complement of people as had all swore never to come back no more."

Rob nodded his understanding of these instructions; and Captain Cuttle promising to make a man of him, if he obeyed orders, dismissed him, yawning, to his bed under the counter, and went aloft to the chamber of Solomon Gills.

What the Captain suffered next day, whenever a bonnet passed, or how often he darted out of the shop to elude imaginary MacStingers, and sought safety in the attic, cannot be told. But to avoid the fatigues attendant on this means of self-preservation, the Captain curtained the glass door of communication between the shop and parlor, on the inside, fitted a key to it from the bunch that had been sent to him: and cut a small hole of espial in the wall. tification is obvious. On a bonnet appearing, the Captain The advantage of this forinstantly slipped into his garrison, locked himself up, and took a secret observation of the enemy. the Captain instantly slipped out again. And the bonnets in Finding it a false alarm, the street were so very numerous, and alarms were so inseparable from their appearance, that the Captain was almost incessantly slipping in and out all day long.

Captain Cuttle found time, however, in the midst of this fatiguing service to inspect the stock ; in connection with which he had the general idea (very laborious to Rob) that too much friction could not be bestowed upon it, and that it could not be made too bright. He also ticketed a few attractive looking articles at a venture, at prices ranging from ten shillings to fifty pounds, and exposed them in the window to the great astonishment of the public.

After effecting these improvements, Captain Cuttle, surrounded by the instruments, began to feel scientific: and looked up at the stars at night, through the skylight, when he was smoking his pipe in the little back parlor before going to bed, as if he had established a kind of property in them. a tradesman in the City, too, he began to have an interest in As the Lord Mayor, and the Sheriffs, and in Public Companies; and felt bound to read the quotations of the Funds every day, though he was unable to make out, on any principle of naviga

tion, what the figures meant, and could have very well dispensed with the fractions. Florence, the Captain waited on, with his strange news of Uncle Sol, immediately after taking possession of the Midshipman; but she was away from home. So the Captain set himself down in his altered station of life, with no company but Rob the Grinder; and losing count of time, as men do when great changes come upon them, thought musingly of Walter, and of Solomon Gills, and even of Mrs. MacStinger herself, as among the things that had been.

CHAPTER XXVI.

SHADOWS OF THE PAST AND FUTURE.

"YOUR most obedient, Sir," said the Major. "Damme, Sir, a friend of my friend Dombey's is a friend of mine, and I'm glad to see you!"

"I am infinitely obliged, Carker," explained Mr. Dombey, "to Major Bagstock, for his company and conversation. Major Bagstock has rendered me great service, Carker."

Mr. Carker the Manager, hat in hand, just arrived at Leamington, and just introduced to the Major, showed the Major his whole double range of teeth, and trusted he might take the liberty of thanking him with all his heart for having effected so great an improvement in Mr. Dombey's looks and spirits.

"By Gad, Sir," said the Major, in reply, "there are no thanks due to me, for it's a give and take affair. A great creature like our friend Dombey, Sir," said the Major, lowering his voice, but not lowering it so much as to render it inaudible to that gentleman, "cannot help improving and exalting his friends. He strengthens and invigorates a man, Sir, does Dombey, in his moral nature."

Mr. Carker snapped at the expression. In his moral nature. Exactly. The very words he had been on the point of suggesting.

"But when my friend Dombey, Sir," added the Major, "talks to you of Major Bagstock, I must crave leave to set him and you right. He means plain Joe, Sir-Joey B.-Josh. Bagstock-Joseph-rough and tough Old J., Sir. At your

service."

Mr. Carker's excessively friendly inclinations towards the Major, and Mr. Carker's admiration of his roughness, toughness, and plainness, gleamed out of every tooth in Mr. Carker's head.

"And now, Sir," said the Major, "you and Dombey have the devil's own amount of business to talk over."

"By no means, Major," observed Mr. Dombey.

"Dombey," said the Major, defiantly, "I know better; a man of your mark-the Colossus of commerce-is not to be interrupted. Your moments are precious. We shall meet at dinner-time. In the interval, old Joseph will be scarce. dinner hour is a sharp seven, Mr. Carker."

The

With that, the Major, greatly swollen as to his face, with drew; but immediately putting in his head at the door again, said:

"I beg your pardon. Dombey, have you any message to 'em?"

Mr. Dombey in some embarrassment, and not without a glance at the courteous keeper of his business confidence, intrusted the Major with his compliments.

"By the Lord, Sir," said the Major, "you must make it something warmer than that, or Old Joe will be far from wel

come."

"Regards then, if you will, Major," returned Mr. Dombey. "Damme, Sir," said the Major, shaking his shoulders and his great cheeks jocularly: "make it something warmer than that."

"What you please, then, Major," observed Mr. Dombey. "Our friend is sly Sir, sly Sir, de-vilish sly," said the Major, staring round the door at Carker. "So is Bagstock." But stopping in the midst of a chuckle, and drawing himself up to his full height, the Major solemnly exclaimed, as he struck himself on the chest, "Dombey! I envy your feelings. God bless you!" and withdrew.

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"You must have found the gentleman a great resource," said Carker, following him with his teeth.

"Very great indeed," said Mr. Dombey.

"He has friends here, no doubt," pursued Carker. “I perceive, from what he has said, that you go into society here. Do you know," smiling horribly, "I am so very glad that you go into society!"

Mr. Dombey acknowledged this display of interest on the part of his second in command, by twirling his watch-chain, and slightly moving his head.

"You were formed for society," said Carker. "Of all the men I know, you are the best adapted, by nature and by position, for society. Do you know I have been frequently amazed that you should have held it at arm's length so long!"

"I have had my reasons, Carker. I have been alone, and indifferent to it. But you have great social qualifications yourself, and are the more likely to have been surprised."

"Oh! I" returned the other, with ready self-disparage. ment. "It's quite another matter in the case of a man like me. I don't come into comparison with you."

Mr. Dombey put his hand to his neckcloth, settled his chin in it, coughed, and stood looking at his faithful friend and servant for a few moments in silence.

"I shall have the pleasure, Carker," said Mr. Dombey at length: making as if he swallowed something a little too large for his throat: "to present you to my-to the Major's friends. Highly agreeable people."

"Ladies among them, I presume?" insinuated the smooth Manager.

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They are all-that is to say, they are both-ladies," replied Mr. Dombey.

"Only two?" smiled Carker.

"They are only two. I have confined my visits to their residence, and have made no other acquaintance here." "Sisters, perhaps?" quoth Carker.

"Mother and daughter," replied Mr. Dombey.

As Mr. Dombey dropped his eyes, and adjusted his neckcloth again, the smiling face of Mr. Carker the Manager, became in a moment, and without any stage of transition, transformed into a most intent and frowning face, scanning his closely, and with an ugly sneer. As Mr. Dombey raised his eyes, it changed back, no less quickly, to its old expression, and showed him every gum of which it stood possessed.

"You are very kind," said Carker, "I shall be delighted to know them. Speaking of daughters, I have seen Miss Dombey."

I

There was a sudden rush of blood to Mr. Dombey's face. "I took the liberty of waiting on her," said Carker, "to inquire if she could charge me with any little commission. am not so fortunate as to be the bearer of any but her-but her dear love."

Wolf's face that it was then, with even the hot tongue revealing itself through the stretched mouth, as the eyes encounered Mr. Dombey's!

"What business intelligence is there?" inquired the latter gentleman, after a silence, during which Mr. Carker had produced some memoranda and other papers.

"There is very little," returned Carker. "Upon the whole we have not had our usual good fortune of late, but that is of little moment to you. Heir for lost. Well, she was insured from her keel to her mastAt Lloyd's they give up the Son and head."

"Carker," said Mr. Dombey, taking a chair near him, “I cannot say that young man, Gay, ever impressed me favorably"Nor me," interposed the Manager.

"But I wish," said Mr. Dombey, without heeding the interruption, he had never gone on board that ship. I wish he had never been sent out."

66

"It is a pity you didn't say so in good time, is it not?" retorted Carker, coolly. However, I think it's all for the best. I really think it's all for the best. Did I mention that there was something like a little confidence between Miss Dombey and myself?"

"No," said Mr. Dombey, sternly.

"I have no doubt," returned Mr. Carker, after an impres sive pause, "that wherever Gay is, he is much better where he is, than at home here. If I were, or could be, in your place, I should be satisfied of that. I am quite satisfied of it myself. Miss Dombey is confiding and young-perhaps hardly proud enough, for your daughter-if she have a fault. Not that that is much though, I am sure. Will you check these balances

with me?"

Mr. Dombey leaned back in his chair, instead of bending over the papers that were laid before him, and looked the Manager steadily in the face. The Manager, with his eyelids slightly raised, affected to be glancing at his figures, and to await the leisure of his principal. this, as if from great delicacy, and with a design to spare Mr. He showed that he affected Dombey's feelings; and the latter, as he looked at him, was cognizant of his intended consideration, and felt that but for it, this confidential Carker would have said a great deal more, which he, Mr. Dombey, was too proud to ask for. It was his way in business, often. Little by little Mr. Dombey's gaze relaxed, and his attention became diverted to the papers before him; but while busy with the occupation they afforded him, he frequently stopped, and looked at Mr. Carker again. ever he did so, Mr. Carker was demonstrative, as before, in his Whendelicacy, and impressed it on his great chief more and more.