“Don’t you think, Venus,” insinuated Mr. Boffin, after looking at the fire for a while⁠—“don’t you feel as if⁠—you might like to pretend to be in it till Wegg was bought up, and then ease your mind by handing over to me what you had made believe to pocket?”

“No I don’t, sir,” returned Venus, very positively.

“Not to make amends?” insinuated Mr. Boffin.

“No, sir. It seems to me, after maturely thinking it over, that the best amends for having got out of the square is to get back into the square.”

“Humph!” mused Mr. Boffin. “When you say the square, you mean⁠—”

“I mean,” said Venus, stoutly and shortly, “the right.”