Silas, who had stimulated this anxiety by his hard reserve of manner, and who had begun to understand his man very well, replied with an air; as if he were saying something extraordinarily generous and great:
“ Mr. Boffin, I never bargain.”
“So I should have thought of you!” said Mr. Boffin, admiringly. “No, sir. I never did ’aggle and I never will ’aggle. Consequently I meet you at once, free and fair, with—Done, for double the money!”
Mr. Boffin seemed a little unprepared for this conclusion, but assented, with the remark, “You know better what it ought to be than I do, Wegg,” and again shook hands with him upon it.
“Could you begin tonight, Wegg?” he then demanded.
“Yes, sir,” said Mr. Wegg, careful to leave all the eagerness to him. “I see no difficulty if you wish it. You are provided with the needful implement—a book, sir?”
“Bought him at a sale,” said Mr. Boffin. “Eight wollumes. Red and gold. Purple ribbon in every wollume, to keep the place where you leave off. Do you know him?”
“The book’s name, sir?” inquired Silas.
“I thought you might have know’d him without it,” said Mr. Boffin slightly disappointed. “His name is Decline-And-Fall-Off-The-Rooshan-Empire.” ( Mr. Boffin went over these stones slowly and with much caution.)
“Ay indeed!” said Mr. Wegg, nodding his head with an air of friendly recognition.
“You know him, Wegg?”