friends in the world, and had a real confidence in one another; but
Mrs. Snitchey, by a dispensation not uncommon in the affairs of
life, was on principle suspicious of Mr. Craggs; and Mrs. Craggs
was on principle suspicious of Mr. Snitchey. 'Your Snitcheys
indeed,' the latter lady would observe, sometimes, to Mr. Craggs;
using that imaginative plural as if in disparagement of an
objectionable pair of pantaloons, or other articles not possessed
of a singular number; 'I don't see what you want with your
Snitcheys, for my part. You trust a great deal too much to your
Snitcheys, I think, and I hope you may never find my words come
true.' While Mrs. Snitchey would observe to Mr. Snitchey, of
Craggs, 'that if ever he was led away by man he was led away by
that man, and that if ever she read a double purpose in a mortal
eye, she read that purpose in Craggs's eye.' Notwithstanding this,
however, they were all very good friends in general: and Mrs.
Snitchey and Mrs. Craggs maintained a close bond of alliance
against 'the office,' which they both considered the Blue chamber,
and common enemy, full of dangerous (because unknown) machinations.

In this office, nevertheless, Snitchey and Craggs made honey for
their several hives. Here, sometimes, they would linger, of a fine
evening, at the window of their council-chamber overlooking the old
battle-ground, and wonder (but that was generally at assize time,
when much business had made them sentimental) at the folly of
mankind, who couldn't always be at peace with one another and go to
law comfortably. Here, days, and weeks, and months, and years,
passed over them: their calendar, the gradually diminishing number
of brass nails in the leathern chairs, and the increasing bulk of
papers on the tables. Here, nearly three years' flight had thinned
the one and swelled the other, since the breakfast in the orchard;