"I  tell  you,  child,"  he  said  petulantly,  "I  can't  be  got  up  the
narrow  stairs  without  Bob.  Ha.  Send  for  Bob.  Hum.  Send  for
Bob — best  of  all  the  turnkeys — send  for  Bob  !  "

He  looked  confusedly  about  him,  and,  becoming  conscious  of  the
number  of  faces  by  which  he  was  surrounded,  addressed  them  :

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  the  duty — ha — devolves  upon  me  of — hum
— welcoming  you  to  the  Marshalsea.  Welcome  to  the  Marshalsea !
The  space  is — ha — limited — limited — the  parade  might  be  wider  ;  but
you  will  find  it  apparently  grow  larger  after  a  time — a  time,  ladies  and
gentlemen — and  the  air  is,  all  things  considered,  very  good.  It  blows
over  the — ha — Surrey  hills.  Blows  over  the  Surrey  hills.  This  is  the
Snuggery.  Hum.  Supported  by  a  small  subscription  of  the —
ha — Collegiate  body.  In  return  for  which — hot  water — general
kitchen — and  little  domestic  advantages.  Those  who  are  habituated
to  the — ha — Marshalsea,  are  pleased  to  call  me  its  Father.  I  am
accustomed  to  be  complimented  by  strangers  as  the — ha — Father  of  the
Marshalsea.  Certainly,  if  years  of  residence  may  establish  a  claim  to
so — ha — honorable  a  title,  I  may  accept  the — hum — conferred  dis-
tinction.  My  child,  ladies  and  gentlemen.    My  daughter.   Born  here  !"

She  was  not  ashamed  of  it,  or  ashamed  of  him.  She  was  pale  and
frightened ;  but  she  had  no  other  care  than  to  soothe  him  and  get  him
away,  for  his  own  dear  sake.  She  was  between  him  and  the  wondering
faces,  turned  round  upon  his  breast  with  her  own  face  raised  to  his.
