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Chapter 33. Mrs Merdle’s Complaint

           IthadreachedthispointwhenMrMerdlecamehomefromhisdailyoccupationofcausingtheBritishnametobemoreandmorerespectedinallpartsofthecivilisedglobecapableoftheappreciationofworld-widecommercialenterpriseandgiganticcombinationsofskillandcapital.For,thoughnobodyknewwiththeleastprecisionwhatMrMerdle’sbusinesswas,exceptthatitwastocoinmoney,thesewerethetermsinwhicheverybodydefineditonallceremoniousoccasions,andwhichitwasthelastnewpolitereadingoftheparableofthecamelandtheneedle’seyetoacceptwithoutinquiry.

           Foragentlemanwhohadthissplendidworkcutoutforhim,MrMerdlelookedalittlecommon,andratherasif,inthecourseofhisvasttransactions,hehadaccidentallymadeaninterchangeofheadswithsomeinferiorspirit.Hepresentedhimselfbeforethetwoladiesinthecourseofadismalstrollthroughhismansion,whichhadnoapparentobjectbutescapefromthepresenceofthechiefbutler.

           ‘Ibegyourpardon,’hesaid,stoppingshortinconfusion;‘Ididn’tknowtherewasanybodyherebuttheparrot.’

           However,asMrsMerdlesaid,‘Youcancomein!’andasMrsGowansaidshewasjustgoing,andhadalreadyrisentotakeherleave,hecamein,andstoodlookingoutatadistantwindow,withhishandscrossedunderhisuneasycoat-cuffs,claspinghiswristsasifheweretakinghimselfintocustody.Inthisattitudehefelldirectlyintoareveriefromwhichhewasonlyarousedbyhiswife’scallingtohimfromherottoman,whentheyhadbeenforsomequarterofanhouralone.

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