»Papa, potatoes, poultry, prunes, and prism.«
    »Mr. Dorrit,« she superadded aloud, »is ever most obliging; and for the
attention, and I will add distinction, of having this confidence imparted to me
by himself and Miss Dorrit at this early time, I beg to offer the tribute of my
thanks. My thanks, and my congratulations, are equally the meed of Mr. Dorrit
and of Miss Dorrit.«
    »To me,« observed Miss Fanny, »they are excessively gratifying -
inexpressibly so. The relief of finding that you have no objection to make, Mrs.
General, quite takes a load off my mind, I am sure. I hardly know what I should
have done,« said Fanny, »if you had interposed any objection, Mrs. General.«
    Mrs. General changed her gloves, as to the right glove being uppermost and
the left undermost, with a Prunes and Prism smile.
    »To preserve your approbation, Mrs. General,« said Fanny, returning the
smile with one in which there was no trace of those ingredients, »will of course
be the highest object of my married life; to lose it, would of course be perfect
wretchedness. I am sure your great kindness will not object, and I hope papa
will not object, to my correcting a small mistake you have made, however. The
best of us are so liable to mistakes, that even you, Mrs. General, have fallen
into a little error. The attention and distinction you have so impressively
mentioned, Mrs. General, as attaching to this confidence, are, I have no doubt,
of the most complimentary and gratifying description; but they don't at all
proceed from me. The merit of having consulted you on the subject would have
been so great in me, that I feel I must not lay claim to it when it really is
not mine. It is wholly papa's. I am deeply obliged to you for your encouragement
and patronage, but it was papa who asked for it. I have to thank you, Mrs.
General, for relieving my breast of a great weight by so handsomely giving your
consent to my engagement, but you have really nothing to thank me for. I hope
you will always approve of my proceedings after I have left home, and that my
sister also may long remain the favoured object of your condescension, Mrs.
General.«
    With this address, which was delivered in her politest manner, Fanny left
the room with an elegant and cheerful air - to tear