. Bleak house . t Mr. Chadband has a pulpit habit of fixing somemember of his congregation with his eye, and fatly arguing hispoints with that particular person; who is understood to beexpected to be moved to an occasional grunt, groan, gasp, or otheraudible expression of inward working; which expression of inwardworking, being echoed by some elderly lady in the next pew, andso communicated, like a game of forfeits, through a circle of themore fermentable sinners present, serves the purpose of parliamen-tary cheering, and gets Mr. Chadbands steam up. From mereforce of habit, Mr. Chadband in sa
. Bleak house . t Mr. Chadband has a pulpit habit of fixing somemember of his congregation with his eye, and fatly arguing hispoints with that particular person; who is understood to beexpected to be moved to an occasional grunt, groan, gasp, or otheraudible expression of inward working; which expression of inwardworking, being echoed by some elderly lady in the next pew, andso communicated, like a game of forfeits, through a circle of themore fermentable sinners present, serves the purpose of parliamen-tary cheering, and gets Mr. Chadbands steam up. From mereforce of habit, Mr. Chadband in saying My friends ! has restedhis eye on Mr. Snagsby; and proceeds to make that ill-starredstationer, already sufliciently confused, the immediate recipient ofhis discourse. We have here among us, my friends, says Chadband, a Gen-tile and a Heathen, a dweller in the tents of Tom-all-Alones and amover-on upon the surface of the earth. We have here among us,my friends, and Mr. Chadband, untwisting the point with his. -^-t^^ 334 BLEAK HOUSE. dirty thumb-nail, bestows an oily smile on Mr. Snagsby, signifyingthat he will throw him an argumentative back-fall presently if hebe not already down, a brother and a boy. Devoid of parents,devoid of relations, devoid of flocks and herds, devoid of gold andsilver, and of precious stones. Now, my friends, why do I say heis devoid of these possessions 1 Why ? Why is he ? Mr. Chad-band states the question as if he were propounding an entirely newriddle, of much ingenuity and merit, to Mr. Snagsby, and entreat-ing him not to give it up. Mr. Snagsby, greatly perplexed by the mysterious look hereceived just now from his little woman — at about the periodwhen Mr. Chadband mentioned the word parents — is temptedinto remarking, I dont know, Im sure, sir. On whichinterruption, Mrs. Chadband glares, and Mrs. Snagsby says, Forshame! I hear a voice, says Chadband; is it a still small voice, myfriends ? I fear not, though I fain would hope so (
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjectinheritanceandsuccession, bookyear18
