 by a waterwheel.
 

                                 Chapter LVIII

                             A Wintry Day and Night

Still impassive, as behoves its breeding, the Dedlock town house carries itself
as usual towards the street of dismal grandeur. There are powdered heads from
time to time in the little windows of the hall, looking out at the untaxed
powder falling all day from the sky; and, in the same conservatory, there is
peach blossom turning itself exotically to the great hall fire from the nipping
weather out of doors. It is given out that my Lady has gone down into
Lincolnshire, but is expected to return presently.
    Rumour, busy overmuch, however, will not go down into Lincolnshire. It
persists in flitting and chattering about town. It knows that that poor
unfortunate man, Sir Leicester, has been sadly used. It hears, my dear child,
all sorts of shocking things. It makes the world of five miles round, quite
merry. Not to know that there is something wrong at the Dedlocks' is to augur
yourself unknown. One of the peachy-cheeked charmers with the skeleton throats,
is already apprised of all the principal circumstances that will come out before
the Lords, on Sir Leicester's application for a bill of divorce.
    At Blaze and Sparkle's the jewellers, and at Sheen and Gloss's the mercers,
it is and will be for several hours the topic of the age, the feature of the
century. The patronesses of those establishments, albeit so loftily inscrutable,
being as nicely weighed and measured there as any other article of the
stock-in-trade, are perfectly understood in this new fashion by the rawest hand
behind the counter. »Our people, Mr. Jones,« said Blaze and Sparkle to the hand
in question on engaging him, »our people, sir, are sheep - mere sheep. Where two
or three marked ones go, all the rest follow. Keep those two or three in your
eye, Mr. Jones, and you have the flock.« So, likewise, Sheen and Gloss to their
Jones, in reference to knowing where to have the fashionable people, and how to
bring what they (Sheen and Gloss) choose, into fashion. On similar unerring
principles, Mr. Sladdery the librarian, and indeed the great farmer of gorgeous
sheep, admits this very day, »Why yes, sir, there certainly are reports
concerning Lady Dedlock, very current indeed among my high connexion, sir. You
see, my high connexion must talk about something, sir; and it's only to get a
subject into vogue with one or two ladies I
