Chapter 26 - Page 2

said
Clennam, more in commiseration than retaliation, 'it would have
been how much better for you, and how much better for me!'

'At me again, sir!' cried Pancks, grinding his teeth in remorse.
'At me again!'
'If you had never gone into those accursed calculations, and
brought out your results with such abominable clearness,' groaned
Clennam, 'it would have been how much better for you, Pancks, and
how much better for me!'

'At me again, sir!' exclaimed Pancks, loosening his hold of his
hair; 'at me again, and again!'

Clennam, however, finding him already beginning to be pacified, had
said all he wanted to say, and more. He wrung his hand, only
adding, 'Blind leaders of the blind, Pancks! Blind leaders of the
blind! But Doyce, Doyce, Doyce; my injured partner!' That brought
his head down on the desk once more.

Their former attitudes and their former silence were once more
first encroached upon by Pancks.

'Not been to bed, sir, since it began to get about. Been high and
low, on the chance of finding some hope of saving any cinders from
the fire. All in vain. All gone. All vanished.'

'I know it,' returned Clennam, 'too well.'

Mr Pancks filled up a pause with a groan that came out of the very
depths of his soul.

'Only yesterday, Pancks,' said Arthur; 'only yesterday, Monday, I
had the fixed intention of selling, realising, and making an end of
it.'

'I can't say as much for myself, sir,' returned Pancks. 'Though
it's wonderful how many people I've heard of, who were going to
realise yesterday, of all days in the three hundred and sixty-five,
if it hadn't been too late!'

His steam-like breathings, usually droll in their effect, were more
tragic than so many groans: while from head to foot, he was in that
begrimed, besmeared, neglected state, that he might have been an
authentic portrait of Misfortune which could scarcely be discerned
through its want of cleaning.

'Mr Clennam, had you laid out--everything?' He got over the break
before the last word, and also brought out the last word itself
with great difficulty.

'Everything.'

Mr Pancks took hold of his tough hair again, and gave it such a
wrench that he pulled out several prongs of it. After looking at
these with an eye of wild hatred, he put them in his pocket.

'My course,' said Clennam, brushing away some tears that had been
silently dropping down his face, 'must be taken at once. What
wretched amends I can make must be made. I must clear my
unfortunate partner's reputation. I must retain nothing for
myself. I must resign to our creditors the power of management I
have so much abused, and I must work out as much of my fault--or
crime--as is