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CHAPTER XV

Bell Yard

While we were in London Mr. Jarndyce was constantly
beset by the crowd of excitable ladies and gentlemen whose
proceedings had so much astonished us. Mr. Quale, who
presented himself soon after our arrival, was in all such ex-
citements. He seemed to project those two shining knobs
of temples of his into everything that went on and to brush
his hair farther and farther back, until the very roots were
almost ready to fly out of his head in inappeasable philan-
thropy. All objects were alike to him, but he was always
particularly ready for anything in the way of a testimonial
to any one. His great power seemed to be his power of indis-
criminate admiration. He would sit for any length of time,
with the utmost enjoyment, bathing his temples in the light
of any order of luminary. Having first seen him perfectly
swallowed up in admiration of Mrs. Jellyby, I had supposed
her to be the absorbing object of his devotion. I soon dis-
covered my mistake and found him to be train-bearer and
organ-blower to a whole procession of people.
Mrs. Pardiggle came one day for a subscription to some-
thing, and with her, Mr. Quale. Whatever Mrs. Pardiggle

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