"But they say again, that it's--it's--curse their big words--they say it's--to be got over in time." "Well--that's something, isn't it?" "To be sure it is; and a'n't anything better than nothing? But then, again, here's a stone in the other pocket--they say there's a _circumstance_!--don't you hate circumstances, Titty?--I do." "So do I!--What does it mean? I've often heard--isn't it a _thing_? And that may be--anything." "Oh, there's a great dif--hem! And they go on to say it's happened since you was there"---- "Curse me, then, if that don't mean _you_, Huckaback!" interrupted Titmouse, with returning anger. "No, that can't be it; they said they'd no control over the circumstance;--now they _had_ over me; for they ordered me to the door, and I went; a'n't that so, Titty?--Lord, how my eye _does_ smart, to be sure!" "And don't I smart all over, inside and out, if it comes to that?" inquired Titmouse, dolefully. "There's nothing particular in the rest of the letter--only uncommon civil, and saying if anything turns up you shall hear." "_I_ could make that out myself--so there's nothing in that"--said Titmouse, quickly. "Well--if it _is_ all over--what a pity! Such things as we could have done, Titty, if we'd got the thing--eh?" Titmouse groaned at this glimpse of the heaven he seemed shut out of forever. "Can't you find anything--nothing at all comfortable-like, in the letter?" he inquired with a deep sigh. Huckaback again took up the letter and spelled it over. "Well," said he, striving to give himself an appearance of thinking, "there's something in it that, after all, I don't seem quite to get to the bottom of--they've seemingly taken a deal of pains with it!" [And undoubtedly it _was_ a document which had been pretty well considered by its framers before being sent out; though, probably, they had hardly anticipated its being so soon afterwards subjected to the scrutiny of such acute intellects as were now engaged upon it.] "And then, again, you know they're lawyers; and do _they_ ever write anything that hasn't got more in it than anybody can find out? These gents that wrote this, they're a trick too keen for the thieves even--and how can _we_--hem!--but I wonder if that fat, old, bald-headed gent, with sharp eyes, was Mr. Quirk"---- "To be sure it was," interrupted Titmouse, with a half shudder. "Was it? Well, then, I'd advise Old Nick to look sharp before he tackles that old gent, that's all!" "Give me Mr. Gammon for my money," said Titmouse, sighing, "such an _uncommon_ gentlemanlike gent--he's quite taken to me"---- "Ah, that, I suppose, was him with the black velvet waistcoat, and pretty white hands! But _he_ can look stern, too, Tit! You should have seen him ring, when--hem!--But what was I saying about the letter? Don't you see they say they'll be sure to write if anything turns up?" "So they do, to be sure! Well--I'd forgot that!" interrupted Titmouse, brightening up.