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merson—‘
‘I hope you didn’t say ‘Miss Summerson’?’
‘No. I didn’t!’ cried Caddy, greatly pleased and with the
brightest of faces. ‘I said, ‘Esther.’ I said to Prince, ‘As Esther
is decidedly of that opinion, Prince, and has expressed it to
me, and always hints it when she writes those kind notes,
which you are so fond of hearing me read to you, I am
prepared to disclose the truth to Ma whenever you think
proper. And I think, Prince,’ said I, ‘that Esther thinks that
I should be in a better, and truer, and more honourable po-
sition altogether if you did the same to your papa.’’
‘Yes, my dear,’ said I. ‘Esther certainly does think so.’
‘So I was right, you see!’ exclaimed Caddy. ‘Well! This
troubled Prince a good deal, not because he had the least
doubt about it, but because he is so considerate of the feel-
ings of old Mr. Turveydrop; and he had his apprehensions
that old Mr. Turveydrop might break his heart, or faint
away, or be very much overcome in some affecting man-
ner or other if he made such an announcement. He feared
old Mr. Turveydrop might consider it undutiful and might
receive too great a shock. For old Mr. Turveydrop’s deport-
ment is very beautiful, you know, Esther,’ said Caddy, ‘and
his feelings are extremely sensitive.’
‘Are they, my dear?’
‘Oh, extremely sensitive. Prince says so. Now, this has
caused my darling child—I didn’t mean to use the expres-
sion to you, Esther,’ Caddy apologized, her face suffused
with blushes, ‘but I generally call Prince my darling child.’
I laughed; and Caddy laughed and blushed, and went

486 Bleak House