Chapter Chapter 23 · Mr. Pocket said he was glad to see me, and he hoped I was not sorry to

. Mr. Pocket said he was glad to see me, and he hoped I was not sorry to

see him. “For, I really am not,” he added, with his son’s smile, “an

alarming personage.” He was a young-looking man, in spite of his

perplexities and his very grey hair, and his manner seemed quite

natural. I use the word natural, in the sense of its being unaffected;

there was something comic in his distraught way, as though it would

have been downright ludicrous but for his own perception that it was

very near being so. When he had talked with me a little, he said to

Mrs. Pocket, with a rather anxious contraction of his eyebrows, which

were black and handsome, “Belinda, I hope you have welcomed Mr. Pip?”

And she looked up from her book, and said, “Yes.” She then smiled upon

me in an absent state of mind, and asked me if I liked the taste of

orange-flower water? As the question had no bearing, near or remote, on

any foregone or subsequent transaction, I consider it to have been

thrown out, like her previous approaches, in general conversational

condescension.

I found out within a few hours, and may mention at once, that Mrs.

Pocket was the only daughter of a certain quite accidental deceased

Knight, who had invented for himself a conviction that his deceased

father would have been made a Baronet but for somebody’s determined

opposition arising out of entirely personal motives,—I forget whose, if

I ever knew,—the Sovereign’s, the Prime Minister’s, the Lord

Chancellor’s, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s, anybody’s,—and had tacked

himself on to the nobles of the earth in right of this quite

supposititious fact. I believe he had been knighted himself for

storming the English grammar at the point of the pen, in a desperate

address engrossed on vellum, on the occasion of the laying of the first

stone of some building or other, and for handing some Royal Personage

either the trowel or the mortar. Be that as it may, he had directed

Mrs. Pocket to be brought up from her cradle as one who in the nature

of things must marry a title, and who was to be guarded from the

acquisition of plebeian domestic knowledge.

So successful a watch and ward had been established over the young lady

by this judicious parent, that she had grown up highly ornamental, but

perfectly helpless and useless. With her character thus happily formed,

in the first bloom of her youth she had encountered Mr. Pocket: who was

also in the first bloom of youth, and not quite decided whether to

mount to the Woolsack, or to roof himself in with a mitre. As his doing

the one or the other was a mere question of time, he and Mrs. Pocket

had taken Time by the forelock (when, to judge from its length, it

would seem to have wanted cutting), and had married without the

knowledge of the judicious parent. The judicious parent, having nothing

to bestow or withhold but his blessing, had handsomely settled that

dower upon them after a short struggle, and had informed Mr. Pocket

that his wife was “a treasure for a Prince.” Mr. Pocket had invested

the Prince’s treasure in the ways of the world ever since, and it was

supposed to have brought him in but indifferent interest. Still, Mrs.

Pocket was in general the object of a queer sort of respectful pity,

because she had not married a title; while Mr. Pocket was the object of

a queer sort of forgiving reproach, because he had never got one.

Mr. Pocket took me into the house and showed me my room: which was a

pleasant one, and so furnished as that I could use it with comfort for

my own private sitting-room. He then knocked at the doors of two other

similar rooms, and introduced me to their occupants, by name Drummle

and Startop. Drummle, an old-looking young man of a heavy order of

architecture, was whistling. Startop, younger in years and appearance,

was reading and holding his head, as if he thought himself in danger of

exploding it with too strong a charge of knowledge.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Pocket had such a noticeable air of being in somebody

else’s hands, that I wondered who really was in possession of the house

and let them live there, until I found this unknown power to be the

servants. It was a smooth way of going on, perhaps, in respect of

saving trouble; but it had the appearance of being expensive, for the

servants felt it a duty they owed to themselves to be nice in their

eating and drinking, and to keep a deal of company downstairs. They

allowed a very liberal table to Mr. and Mrs. Pocket, yet it always

appeared to me that by far the best part of the house to have boarded

in would have been the kitchen,—always supposing the boarder capable of

self-defence, for, before I had been there a week, a neighbouring lady

with whom the family were personally unacquainted, wrote in to say that

she had seen Millers slapping the baby. This greatly distressed Mrs.

Pocket, who burst into tears on receiving the note, and said that it

was an extraordinary thing that the neighbours couldn’t mind their own

business.

By degrees I learnt, and chiefly from Herbert, that Mr. Pocket had been

educated at Harrow and at Cambridge, where he had distinguished

himself; but that when he had had the happiness of marrying Mrs. Pocket

very early in life, he had impaired his prospects and taken up the

calling of a Grinder. After grinding a number of dull blades,—of whom

it was remarkable that their fathers, when influential, were always

going to help him to preferment, but always forgot to do it when the

blades had left the Grindstone,—he had wearied of that poor work and

had come to London. Here, after gradually failing in loftier hopes, he

had “read” with divers who had lacked opportunities or neglected them,

and had refurbished divers others for special occasions, and had turned

his acquirements to the account of literary compilation and correction,

and on such means, added to some very moderate private resources, still

maintained the house I saw.

Mr. and Mrs. Pocket had a toady neighbour; a widow lady of that highly

sympathetic nature that she agreed with everybody, blessed everybody,

and shed smiles and tears on everybody, according to circumstances.

This lady’s name was Mrs. Coiler, and I had the honour of taking her

down to dinner on the day of my installation. She gave me to understand

on the stairs, that it was a blow to dear Mrs. Pocket that dear Mr.

Pocket should be under the necessity of receiving gentlemen to read

with him. That did not extend to me, she told me in a gush of love and

confidence (at that time, I had known her something less than five

minutes); if they were all like Me, it would be quite another thing.

“But dear Mrs. Pocket,” said Mrs. Coiler, “after her early

disappointment (not that dear Mr. Pocket was to blame in that),

requires so much luxury and elegance—”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said, to stop her, for I was afraid she was going to

cry.

“And she is of so aristocratic a disposition—”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said again, with the same object as before.

“—That it _is_ hard,” said Mrs. Coiler, “to have dear Mr. Pocket’s time

and attention diverted from dear Mrs. Pocket.”

I could not help thinking that it might be harder if the butcher’s time

and attention were diverted from dear Mrs. Pocket; but I said nothing,

and indeed had enough to do in keeping a bashful watch upon my company

manners.

It came to my knowledge, through what passed between Mrs. Pocket and

Drummle while I was attentive to my knife and fork, spoon, glasses, and

other instruments of self-destruction, that Drummle, whose Christian

name was Bentley, was actually the next heir but one to a baronetcy. It

further appeared that the book I had seen Mrs. Pocket reading in the

garden was all about titles, and that she knew the exact date at which

her grandpapa would have come into the book, if he ever had come at

all. Drummle didn’t say much, but in his limited way (he struck me as a

sulky kind of fellow) he spoke as one of the elect, and recognised Mrs.

Pocket as a woman and a sister. No one but themselves and Mrs. Coiler

the toady neighbour showed any interest in this part of the

conversation, and it appeared to me that it was painful to Herbert; but

it promised to last a long time, when the page came in with the

announcement of a domestic affliction. It was, in effect, that the cook

had mislaid the beef. To my unutterable amazement, I now, for the first

time, saw Mr. Pocket relieve his mind by going through a performance

that struck me as very extraordinary, but which made no impression on

anybody else, and with which I soon became as familiar as the rest. He

laid down the carving-knife and fork,—being engaged in carving, at the

moment,—put his two hands into his disturbed hair, and appeared to make

an extraordinary effort to lift himself up by it. When he had done

this, and had not lifted himself up at all, he quietly went on with

what he was about.

Mrs. Coiler then changed the subject and began to flatter me. I liked

it for a few moments, but she flattered me so very grossly that the

pleasure was soon over. She had a serpentine way of coming close at me

when she pretended to be vitally interested in the friends and

localities I had left, which was altogether snaky and fork-tongued; and

when she made an occasional bounce upon Startop (who said very little

to her), or upon Drummle (who said less), I rather envied them for

being on the opposite side of the table.

After dinner the children were introduced, and Mrs. Coiler made

admiring comments on their eyes, noses, and legs,—a sagacious way of

improving their minds. There were four little girls, and two little

boys, besides the baby who might have been either, and the baby’s next

successor who was as yet neither. They were brought in by Flopson and

Millers, much as though those two non-commissioned officers had been

recruiting somewhere for children and had enlisted these, while Mrs.

Pocket looked at the young Nobles that ought to have been as if she

rather thought she had had the pleasure of inspecting them before, but

didn’t quite know what to make of them.

“Here! Give me your fork, Mum, and take the baby,” said Flopson. “Don’t

take it that way, or you’ll get its head under the table.”

Thus advised, Mrs. Pocket took it the other way, and got its head upon

the table; which was announced to all present by a prodigious

concussion.

“Dear, dear! Give it me back, Mum,” said Flopson; “and Miss Jane, come

and dance to baby, do!”

One of the little girls, a mere mite who seemed to have prematurely

taken upon herself some charge of the others, stepped out of her place

by me, and danced to and from the baby until it left off crying, and

laughed. Then, all the children laughed, and Mr. Pocket (who in the

meantime had twice endeavoured to lift himself up by the hair) laughed,

and we all laughed and were glad.

Flopson, by dint of doubling the baby at the joints like a Dutch doll,

then got it safely into Mrs. Pocket’s lap, and gave it the nut-crackers

to play with; at the same time recommending Mrs. Pocket to take notice

that the handles of that instrument were not likely to agree with its

eyes, and sharply charging Miss Jane to look after the same. Then, the

two nurses left the room, and had a lively scuffle on the staircase

with a dissipated page who had waited at dinner, and who had clearly

lost half his buttons at the gaming-table.

I was made very uneasy in my mind by Mrs. Pocket’s falling into a

discussion with Drummle respecting two baronetcies, while she ate a

sliced orange steeped in sugar and wine, and, forgetting all about the

baby on her lap, who did most appalling things with the nut-crackers.

At length little Jane, perceiving its young brains to be imperilled,

softly left her place, and with many small artifices coaxed the

dangerous weapon away. Mrs. Pocket finishing her orange at about the

same time, and not approving of this, said to Jane,—

“You naughty child, how dare you? Go and sit down this instant!”

“Mamma dear,” lisped the little girl, “baby ood have put hith eyeth

out.”

“How dare you tell me so?” retorted Mrs. Pocket. “Go and sit down in

your chair this moment!”

Mrs. Pocket’s dignity was so crushing, that I felt quite abashed, as if

I myself had done something to rouse it.

“Belinda,” remonstrated Mr. Pocket, from the other end of the table,

“how can you be so unreasonable? Jane only interfered for the

protection of baby.”

“I will not allow anybody to interfere,” said Mrs. Pocket. “I am

surprised, Matthew, that you should expose me to the affront of

interference.”

“Good God!” cried Mr. Pocket, in an outbreak of desolate desperation.

“Are infants to be nut-crackered into their tombs, and is nobody to

save them?”

“I will not be interfered with by Jane,” said Mrs. Pocket, with a

majestic glance at that innocent little offender. “I hope I know my

poor grandpapa’s position. Jane, indeed!”

Mr. Pocket got his hands in his hair again, and this time really did

lift himself some inches out of his chair. “Hear this!” he helplessly

exclaimed to the elements. “Babies are to be nut-crackered dead, for

people’s poor grandpapa’s positions!” Then he let himself down again,

and became silent.

We all looked awkwardly at the tablecloth while this was going on. A

pause succeeded, during which the honest and irrepressible baby made a

series of leaps and crows at little Jane, who appeared to me to be the

only member of the family (irrespective of servants) with whom it had

any decided acquaintance.

“Mr. Drummle,” said Mrs. Pocket, “will you ring for Flopson? Jane, you

undutiful little thing, go and lie down. Now, baby darling, come with

ma!”

The baby was the soul of honour, and protested with all its might. It

doubled itself up the wrong way over Mrs. Pocket’s arm, exhibited a

pair of knitted shoes and dimpled ankles to the company in lieu of its

soft face, and was carried out in the highest state of mutiny. And it

gained its point after all, for I saw it through the window within a

few minutes, being nursed by little Jane.

It happened that the other five children were left behind at the

dinner-table, through Flopson’s having some private engagement, and

their not being anybody else’s business. I thus became aware of the

mutual relations between them and Mr. Pocket, which were exemplified in

the following manner. Mr. Pocket, with the normal perplexity of his

face heightened and his hair rumpled, looked at them for some minutes,

as if he couldn’t make out how they came to be boarding and lodging in

that establishment, and why they hadn’t been billeted by Nature on

somebody else. Then, in a distant Missionary way he asked them certain

questions,—as why little Joe had that hole in his frill, who said, Pa,

Flopson was going to mend it when she had time,—and how little Fanny

came by that whitlow, who said, Pa, Millers was going to poultice it

when she didn’t forget. Then, he melted into parental tenderness, and

gave them a shilling apiece and told them to go and play; and then as

they went out, with one very strong effort to lift himself up by the

hair he dismissed the hopeless subject.

In the evening there was rowing on the river. As Drummle and Startop

had each a boat, I resolved to set up mine, and to cut them both out. I

was pretty good at most exercises in which country boys are adepts, but

as I was conscious of wanting elegance of style for the Thames,—not to

say for other waters,—I at once engaged to place myself under the

tuition of the winner of a prize-wherry who plied at our stairs, and to

whom I was introduced by my new allies. This practical authority

confused me very much by saying I had the arm of a blacksmith. If he

could have known how nearly the compliment lost him his pupil, I doubt

if he would have paid it.

There was a supper-tray after we got home at night, and I think we

should all have enjoyed ourselves, but for a rather disagreeable

domestic occurrence. Mr. Pocket was in good spirits, when a housemaid

came in, and said, “If you please, sir, I should wish to speak to you.”

“Speak to your master?” said Mrs. Pocket, whose dignity was roused

again. “How can you think of such a thing? Go and speak to Flopson. Or

speak to me—at some other time.”

“Begging your pardon, ma’am,” returned the housemaid, “I should wish to

speak at once, and to speak to master.”

Hereupon, Mr. Pocket went out of the room, and we made the best of

ourselves until he came back.

“This is a pretty thing, Belinda!” said Mr. Pocket, returning with a

countenance expressive of grief and despair. “Here’s the cook lying

insensibly drunk on the kitchen floor, with a large bundle of fresh

butter made up in the cupboard ready to sell for grease!”

Mrs. Pocket instantly showed much amiable emotion, and said, “This is

that odious Sophia’s doing!”

“What do you mean, Belinda?” demanded Mr. Pocket.

“Sophia has told you,” said Mrs. Pocket. “Did I not see her with my own

eyes and hear her with my own ears, come into the room just now and ask

to speak to you?”

“But has she not taken me downstairs, Belinda,” returned Mr. Pocket,

“and shown me the woman, and the bundle too?”

“And do you defend her, Matthew,” said Mrs. Pocket, “for making

mischief?”

Mr. Pocket uttered a dismal groan.

“Am I, grandpapa’s granddaughter, to be nothing in the house?” said

Mrs. Pocket. “Besides, the cook has always been a very nice respectful

woman, and said in the most natural manner when she came to look after

the situation, that she felt I was born to be a Duchess.”

There was a sofa where Mr. Pocket stood, and he dropped upon it in the

attitude of the Dying Gladiator. Still in that attitude he said, with a

hollow voice, “Good night, Mr. Pip,” when I deemed it advisable to go

to bed and leave him.