Page 756 - david-copperfield

forbid, Copperfield,’ he replied, ‘that I should do any man
an injustice: still less, Mr. jorkins. But I know my partner,
Copperfield. Mr. jorkins is not a man to respond to a propo-
sition of this peculiar nature. Mr. jorkins is very difficult to
move from the beaten track. You know what he is!’
I am sure I knew nothing about him, except that he had
originally been alone in the business, and now lived by
himself in a house near Montagu Square, which was fear-
fully in want of painting; that he came very late of a day, and
went away very early; that he never appeared to be consult-
ed about anything; and that he had a dingy little black-hole
of his own upstairs, where no business was ever done, and
where there was a yellow old cartridge-paper pad upon his
desk, unsoiled by ink, and reported to be twenty years of
age.
‘Would you object to my mentioning it to him, sir?’ I
asked.
‘By no means,’ said Mr. Spenlow. ‘But I have some expe-
rience of Mr. jorkins, Copperfield. I wish it were otherwise,
for I should be happy to meet your views in any respect. I
cannot have the objection to your mentioning it to Mr. jor-
kins, Copperfield, if you think it worth while.’
Availing myself of this permission, which was given with
a warm shake of the hand, I sat thinking about Dora, and
looking at the sunlight stealing from the chimney-pots
down the wall of the opposite house, until Mr. jorkins
came. I then went up to Mr. jorkins’s room, and evidently
astonished Mr. jorkins very much by making my appear-
ance there.