indoor messengers attached to Tellson’s establishment was put

through the door, and the word was given:

“Porter wanted!”

“Hooray, father! Here’s an early job to begin with!”

Having thus given his parent God speed, young Jerry seated

himself on the stool, entered on his reversionary interest in the

straw his father had been chewing, and cogitated.

“Always rusty! His fingers is always rusty!” muttered young

Jerry. “Where does my father get all that iron rust from? He don’t

get no iron rust here!”

Charles Dickens ElecBook Classics

Chapter VIII

A SIGHT

“Y

ou know the Old Bailey well, no doubt?” said one of

the oldest of clerks to Jerry the messenger.

“Ye-es, sir,” returned Jerry, in something of a

dogged manner. “I do know the Bailey.”

“Just so. And you know Mr. Lorry.”

“I know Mr. Lorry, sir, much better than I know the Bailey.

Much better,” said Jerry, not unlike a reluctant witness at the

establishment in question, “than I, as a honest tradesman, wish to

know the Bailey.”

“Very well. Find the door where the witnesses go in, and show

the door-keeper this note for Mr. Lorry. He will then let you in.”

“Into the court, sir?”

“Into the court.”

Mr. Cruncher’s eyes seemed to get a little closer to one another,

and to interchange the inquiry, “What do you think of this?”

“Am I to wait in the court, sir?” he asked, as the result of that

conference.

“I am going to tell you. The door-keeper will pass the note to

Mr. Lorry, and do you make any gesture that will attract Mr.

Lorry’s attention, and show him where you stand. Then what you

have to do is, to remain there until he wants you.”

“Is that all, sir?”

“That is all. He wishes to have a messenger at hand. This is to

tell him you are there.”

Charles Dickens ElecBook Classics

As the ancient clerk deliberately folded and superscribed the

note, Mr. Cruncher, after surveying him in silence until he came to

the blotting-paper stage, remarked:

“I suppose they’ll be trying Forgeries this morning?”

“Treason!”

“That’s quartering,” said Jerry. “Barbarous!”

“It is the law,” remarked the ancient clerk, turning his

surprised spectacles upon him. “It is the law.”

“It’s hard in the law to spile a man, I think. It’s hard enough to

kill him, but it’s werry hard to spile him, sir.”

“Not at all,” returned the ancient clerk. “Speak well of the law.