'
It was extraordinary how much effort it cost Mrs Gamp to pronounce the
name she was commonly so ready with. She made some three or four gasps
before she could get it out; and, when she had uttered it, pressed her
hand upon her side, and turned up her eyes, as if she were going to
faint away. But, knowing her to labour under a complication of internal
disorders, which rendered a few drops of spirits indispensable at
certain times to her existence, and which came on very strong when that
remedy was not at hand, Jonas merely supposed her to be the victim of
one of these attacks.
'Well!' he said, hastily, for he felt how incapable he was of confining
his wandering attention to the subject. 'You and she have arranged to
take care of him, have you?'
Mrs Gamp replied in the affirmative, and softly discharged herself of
her familiar phrase, 'Turn and turn about; one off, one on.' But
she spoke so tremulously that she felt called upon to add, 'which
fiddle-strings is weakness to expredge my nerves this night!'
Jonas stopped to listen. Then said, hurriedly:
'We shall not quarrel about terms.
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