, yet to judge from these appearances he
must either have been a ship-breaker on a very small scale, or have broken his
ships up very small indeed. Neither did the place present any extraordinary
aspect of life or activity, as its only human occupant was an amphibious boy in
a canvas suit, whose sole change of occupation was from sitting on the head of a
pile and throwing stones into the mud when the tide was out, to standing with
his hands in his pockets gazing listlessly on the motion and on the bustle of
the river at high-water.
    The dwarf's lodging on Tower Hill comprised, besides the needful
accommodation for himself and Mrs. Quilp, a small sleeping-closet for that
lady's mother, who resided with the couple and waged perpetual war with Daniel;
of whom, notwithstanding, she stood in no slight dread. Indeed, the ugly
creature contrived by some means or other - whether by his ugliness or his
ferocity or his natural cunning is no great matter - to impress with a wholesome
fear of his anger, most of those with whom he was brought into daily contact and
communication. Over nobody had he such complete ascendency as Mrs. Quilp herself
- a pretty little, mild-spoken, blue-eyed woman, who having allied herself in
wedlock to the dwarf in one of those strange infatuations of which examples are
by no means scarce, performed a sound practical penance for her folly, every day
of her life.
    It has been said that Mrs. Quilp was pining in her bower. In her bower she
was, but not alone, for besides the old lady her mother of whom mention has
recently been made, there were present some half-dozen ladies of the
neighbourhood who had happened by a strange accident (and also by a little
understanding among themselves) to drop in one after another, just about
tea-time. This being a season favourable to conversation, and the room being a
cool, shady, lazy kind of place, with some plants at the open window shutting
out the dust, and interposing pleasantly enough between the tea-table within and
the old Tower without, it is no wonder that the ladies felt an inclination to
talk and linger, especially when there are taken into account the additional
inducements of fresh butter, new bread, shrimps, and water-cresses.
    Now, the ladies being together under these circumstances, it was extremely
natural that the discourse should turn upon the propensity of mankind to
tyrannise over the weaker sex, and the duty that devolved upon the weaker sex to
resist that tyranny and assert their
