Chapter 48 - Page 2

said, gently; 'I am not angry with you. Why you actually tremble!
Don't be alarmed, Bella my dear. I'll see you righted.'

'See me righted?' thought Bella. And then repeated aloud in a tone
of astonishment: 'see me righted, sir?'

'Ay, ay!' said Mr Boffin. 'See you righted. Send Mr Rokesmith
here, you sir.'

Bella would have been lost in perplexity if there had been pause
enough; but the servant found Mr Rokesmith near at hand, and he
almost immediately presented himself.

'Shut the door, sir!' said Mr Boffin. 'I have got something to say to
you which I fancy you'll not be pleased to hear.'

'I am sorry to reply, Mr Boffin,' returned the Secretary, as, having
closed the door, he turned and faced him, 'that I think that very
likely.'

'What do you mean?' blustered Mr Boffin.

'I mean that it has become no novelty to me to hear from your lips
what I would rather not hear.'

'Oh! Perhaps we shall change that,' said Mr Boffin with a
threatening roll of his head.

'I hope so,' returned the Secretary. He was quiet and respectful;
but stood, as Bella thought (and was glad to think), on his
manhood too.

'Now, sir,' said Mr Boffin, 'look at this young lady on my arm.

Bella involuntarily raising her eyes, when this sudden reference
was made to herself, met those of Mr Rokesmith. He was pale
and seemed agitated. Then her eyes passed on to Mrs Boffin's, and
she met the look again. In a flash it enlightened her, and she
began to understand what she had done.

'I say to you, sir,' Mr Boffin repeated, 'look at this young lady on
my arm.

'I do so,' returned the Secretary.

As his glance rested again on Bella for a moment, she thought
there was reproach in it. But it is possible that the reproach was
within herself.

'How dare you, sir,' said Mr Boffin, 'tamper, unknown to me, with
this young lady? How dare you come out of your station, and your
place in my house, to pester this young lady with your impudent
addresses?'

'I must decline to answer questions,' said the Secretary, 'that are
so offensively asked.'

'You decline to answer?' retorted Mr Boffin. 'You decline to
answer, do you? Then I'll tell you what it is, Rokesmith; I'll
answer for you. There are two sides to this matter, and I'll take 'em
separately. The first side is, sheer Insolence. That's the first side.'

The Secretary smiled with some bitterness, as though he would
have said, 'So I see and hear.'

'It was sheer Insolence in you, I tell you,' said Mr Boffin, 'even to
think of this young lady. This young lady was far above YOU.
This young lady was no match for YOU. This young lady was
lying in wait (as she was qualified to do)