ly, very

incommodious. It was an old-fashioned place, moreover, in the

moral attribute that the partners in the House were proud of its

smallness, proud of its darkness, proud of its ugliness, proud of its

incommodiousness. They were even boastful of its eminence in

those particulars, and were fired by an express conviction that, if it

were less objectionable, it would be less respectable. This was no

passive belief, but an active weapon which they flashed at more

convenient places of business. Tellson’s (they said) wanted no

elbow-room, Tellson’s wanted no light, Tellson’s wanted no

embellishment. Noakes and Co.’s might, or Snooks Brothers’

might; but Tellson’s, thank Heaven! Any one of these partners

would have disinherited his son on the question of rebuilding

Tellson’s. In this respect the House was much on a par with the

Country; which did very often disinherit its sons for suggesting

improvements in laws and customs that had long been highly

objectionable, but were only the more respectable.

Thus it had come to pass, that Tellson’s was the triumphant

perfection of inconvenience. After bursting open a door of idiotic

obstinacy with a weak rattle in its throat, you fell into Tellson’s

down two steps, and came to your senses in a miserable little shop,