Page 790 - bleak-house

am disposed to say that I never had the happiness of knowing
any one whom I should consider so refreshingly responsible
as yourself. You appear to me to be the very touchstone of
responsibility. When I see you, my dear Miss Summerson,
intent upon the perfect working of the whole little orderly
system of which you are the centre, I feel inclined to say to
myself—in fact I do say to myself very often— THAT’S re-
sponsibility!’
It was difficult, after this, to explain what I meant; but I
persisted so far as to say that we all hoped he would check
and not confirm Richard in the sanguine views he enter-
tained just then.
‘Most willingly,’ he retorted, ‘if I could. But, my dear Miss
Summerson, I have no art, no disguise. If he takes me by the
hand and leads me through Westminster Hall in an airy
procession after fortune, I must go. If he says, ‘Skimpole,
join the dance!’ I must join it. Common sense wouldn’t, I
know, but I have NO common sense.’
It was very unfortunate for Richard, I said.
‘Do you think so!’ returned Mr. Skimpole. ‘Don’t say
that, don’t say that. Let us suppose him keeping compa-
ny with Common Sense—an excellent man—a good deal
wrinkled—dreadfully practical—change for a ten-pound
note in every pocket—ruled account-book in his hand—say,
upon the whole, resembling a tax-gatherer. Our dear Rich-
ard, sanguine, ardent, overleaping obstacles, bursting with
poetry like a young bud, says to this highly respectable com-
panion, ‘I see a golden prospect before me; it’s very bright,
it’s very beautiful, it’s very joyous; here I go, bounding over

790 Bleak House