Bleak House - страница 121

We had walked slowly, while we were talking; and my guardian and Ada were here before us. We found them in Miss Flite's garret. They were looking at the birds, while a medical gentleman who was so good as to attend Miss Flite with much solicitude and compassion, spoke with her cheerfully by the fire.

'I have finished my professional visit,' he said, coming forward. 'Miss Flite is much better, and may appear in Court (as her mind is set upon it) to-morrow. She has been greatly missed there, I understand.'

Miss Flite received the compliment with complacency, and dropped a general curtsey to us.

'Honoured, indeed,' said she, 'by another visit from the wards in Jarndyce! Very happy to receive Jarndyce of Bleak House beneath my humble roof!' with a special curtsey. 'Fitz-Jarndyce, my dear;' she had bestowed that name on Caddy, it appeared, and always called her by it; 'a double welcome!'

'Has she been very ill?' asked Mr. Jarndyce of the gentleman whom we had found in attendance on her. She answered for herself directly, though he had put the question in a whisper.

'O decidedly unwell! O very unwell indeed,' she said, confidentially. 'Not pain, you know – trouble. Not bodily so much as nervous, nervous! The truth is,' in a subdued voice and trembling, 'we have had death here. There was poison in the house. I am very susceptible to such horrid things. It frightened me. Only Mr. Woodcourt knows how much. My physician, Mr. Woodcourt!' with great stateliness. 'The wards in Jarndyce – Jarndyce of Bleak House – Fitz-Jarndyce!'

'Miss Flite,' said Mr. Woodcourt, in a grave kind of voice, as if he were appealing to her while speaking to us; and laying his hand gently on her arm; 'Miss Flite describes her illness with her usual accuracy. She was alarmed by an occurrence in the house which might have alarmed a stronger person, and was made ill by the distress and agitation. She brought me here, in the first hurry of the discovery, though too late for me to be of any use to the unfortunate man. I have compensated myself for that disappointment by coming here since, and being of some small use to her.'

'The kindest physician in the college,' whispered Miss Flite to me. 'I expect a Judgment. On the day of Judgment. And shall then confer estates.'

'She will be as well, in a day or two,' said Mr. Woodcourt, looking at her with an observant smile, 'as she ever will be. In other words, quite well of course. Have you heard of her good fortune?'

'Most extraordinary!' said Miss Flite, smiling brightly. 'You never heard of such a thing, my dear! Every Saturday, Conversation Kenge, or Guppy (clerk to Conversation K.), places in my hand a paper of shillings. Shillings. I assure you! Always the same number in the paper. Always one for every day in the week. Now you know, really! So well-timed, is it not? Ye-es! From whence do these papers come, you say? That is the great question. Naturally. Shall I tell you what I think? I think,' said Miss Flite, drawing herself back with a very shrewd look, and shaking her right forefinger in a most significant manner, 'that the Lord Chancellor, aware of the length of time during which the Great Seal has been open, (for it has been open a long time!) forwards them. Until the Judgment I expect, is given. Now that's very creditable, you know. To confess in that way that he