"I thank you, Mr. Jarndyce," said Mr. Vholes, putting out his long black sleeve to check the ringing of the bell, "not any. I thank you, no, not a morsel. My digestion is much impaired, and I am but a poor knife and fork at any time. If I was to partake of solid food at this period of the day, I don't know what the consequences might be. Everything having been openly carried on, sir, I will now with your permission take my leave."
"And I would that you could take your leave, and we could all take our leave, Mr. Vholes," returned my guardian bitterly, "of a cause you know of."
Mr. Vholes, whose black dye was so deep from head to foot that it had quite steamed before the fire, diffusing a very unpleasant perfume, made a short one-sided inclination of his head from the neck and slowly shook it.

"I thank you, Mr. Jarndyce," said Mr. Vholes, "but no, not a morsel. My digestion is much impaired. If I was to partake of solid food at this period of the day, I don't know what the consequences might be. Sir, I will now take my leave."
"I wish we could all take our leave, Mr. Vholes," returned my guardian bitterly, "of a cause you know of."
Mr. Vholes slowly shook his head. 