And it is, I cannot but confess it, it is too often--hem--
acceptable. This gentleman that I refer to, was presented to me,
Mr Clennam, in a manner highly gratifying to my feelings, and
conversed not only with great politeness, but with great--ahem--
information.' All this time, though he had finished his supper, he
was nervously going about his plate with his knife and fork, as if
some of it were still before him. 'It appeared from his
conversation that he had a garden, though he was delicate of
mentioning it at first, as gardens are--hem--are not accessible to
me. But it came out, through my admiring a very fine cluster of
geranium--beautiful cluster of geranium to be sure--which he had
brought from his conservatory. On my taking notice of its rich
colour, he showed me a piece of paper round it, on which was
written, "For the Father of the Marshalsea," and presented it to
me. But this was--hem--not all. He made a particular request, on
taking leave, that I would remove the paper in half an hour. I--
ha--I did so; and I found that it contained--ahem--two guineas. I
assure you, Mr Clennam, I have received--hem--Testimonials in many
ways, and of many degrees of value, and they have always been--ha--
unfortunately acceptable; but I never was more pleased than with
this--ahem--this particular Testimonial.'
Arthur was in the act of saying the little he could say on such a
theme, when a bell began to ring, and footsteps approached the
door. A pretty girl of a far better figure and much more developed
than Little Dorrit, though looking much younger in the face when
the two were observed together, stopped in the doorway on seeing a
stranger; and a young man who was with her, stopped too.

'Mr Clennam, Fanny. My eldest daughter and my son, Mr Clennam.
The bell is a signal for visitors to retire, and so they have come