The comedy of Charles Dickens Author:Charles Dickens Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Swiveller, lying sometimes on his back with his eyes upon the ceiling, and sometimes half out of bed to correct himself by the book, played this unhappy tune ove... more »r and over again; never leaving ofi", save for a minute or two at a time to take breath and soliloquise about the Marchioness, and then beginning again with renewed vigour. It was not until he had quite exhausted his several subjects of meditation, and had breathed into the flute the whole sentiment of the purl down to its very dregs, and had nearly maddened the people of the house, and at both the next doors, and over the way,—that he shut up the music- book, extinguished the candle, and finding himself greatly lightened and relieved in his mind, turned round and fell Quilp returns to his homo when least expected. He arrives outside his house, and seeing lights in the windows, and hearing (several voices in earnest conversation, among which he thinks ho can distinguish the tones of men, the jealous dwarf hopes to steal upon his wife unawares. MR. QUILP RETURNS AFTER HIS SUPPOSED DEATH A very low and gentle rap received no answer from within. But after a second application to the knocker, no louder than the first, the door was softly opened by the boy from the wharf, whom Quilp instantly gagged with one hand, and dragged into the street with the other. "You'll throttle me, master," whispered the boy. " Let go, will you?" " Who's up-stairs, you dog ?" retorted Quilp in the same tone. " Tell me. And don't speak above your breath, or I'll choke you in good earnest." The boy could only point to the window, and reply with a stifled giggle, expressive of such intense enjoyment, that Quilp clutched him by the throat again and might have carried his threat into execution, or at least have made very good progress ...« less