X + 

Mrs.┬аSparsitтАЩs Staircase + 

Mrs.┬аSparsitтАЩs nerves being slow to recover their tone, the worthy woman made a stay of some weeks in duration at Mr.┬аBounderbyтАЩs retreat, where, notwithstanding her anchorite turn of mind based upon her becoming consciousness of her altered station, she resigned herself with noble fortitude to lodging, as one may say, in clover, and feeding on the fat of the land. During the whole term of this recess from the guardianship of the Bank, Mrs.┬аSparsit was a pattern of consistency; continuing to take such pity on Mr.┬аBounderby to his face, as is rarely taken on man, and to call his portrait a Noodle to its face, with the greatest acrimony and contempt. + 

Mr.┬аBounderby, having got it into his explosive composition that Mrs.┬аSparsit was a highly superior woman to perceive that he had that general cross upon him in his deserts (for he had not yet settled what it was), and further that Louisa would have objected to her as a frequent visitor if it had comported with his greatness that she should object to anything he chose to do, resolved not to lose sight of Mrs.┬аSparsit easily. So when her nerves were strung up to the pitch of again consuming sweetbreads in solitude, he said to her at the dinner-table, on the day before her departure, тАЬI tell you what, maтАЩam; you shall come down here of a Saturday, while the fine weather lasts, and stay till Monday.тАЭ To which Mrs.┬аSparsit returned, in effect, though not of the Mahomedan persuasion: тАЬTo hear is to obey.тАЭ + 

Now, Mrs.┬аSparsit was not a poetical woman; but she took an idea in the nature of an allegorical fancy, into her head. Much watching of Louisa, and much consequent observation of her impenetrable demeanour, which keenly whetted and sharpened Mrs.┬аSparsitтАЩs edge, must have given her as it were a lift, in the way of inspiration. She erected in her mind a mighty staircase, with a dark pit of shame and ruin at the bottom; and down those stairs, from day to day and hour to hour, she saw Louisa coming. + 

It became the business of Mrs.┬аSparsitтАЩs life, to look up at her staircase, and to watch Louisa coming down. Sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly, sometimes several steps at one bout, sometimes stopping, never turning back. If she had once turned back, it might have been the death of Mrs.┬аSparsit in spleen and grief. + 

She had been descending steadily, to the day, and on the day, when Mr.┬аBounderby issued the weekly invitation recorded above. Mrs.┬аSparsit was in good spirits, and inclined to be conversational. + 

тАЬAnd pray, sir,тАЭ said she, тАЬif I may venture to ask a question appertaining to any subject on which you show reserveтБатАФwhich is indeed hardy in me, for I well know you have a reason for everything you doтБатАФhave you received intelligence respecting the robbery?тАЭ + 

тАЬWhy, maтАЩam, no; not yet. Under the circumstances, I didnтАЩt expect it yet. Rome wasnтАЩt built in a day, maтАЩam.тАЭ + 

тАЬVery true, sir,тАЭ said Mrs.┬аSparsit, shaking her head. + 

тАЬNor yet in a week, maтАЩam.тАЭ + 

тАЬNo, indeed, sir,тАЭ returned Mrs.┬аSparsit, with a gentle melancholy upon her. + 

тАЬIn a similar manner, maтАЩam,тАЭ said Bounderby, тАЬI can wait, you know. If Romulus and Remus could wait, Josiah Bounderby can wait. They were better off in their youth than I was, however. They had a she-wolf for a nurse; I had only a she-wolf for a grandmother. She didnтАЩt give any milk, maтАЩam; she gave bruises. She was a regular Alderney at that.тАЭ + 

тАЬAh!тАЭ Mrs.┬аSparsit sighed and shuddered. + 

тАЬNo, maтАЩam,тАЭ continued Bounderby, тАЬI have not heard anything more about it. ItтАЩs in hand, though; and young Tom, who rather sticks to business at presentтБатАФsomething new for him; he hadnтАЩt the schooling I hadтБатАФis helping. My injunction is, Keep it quiet, and let it seem to blow over. Do what you like under the rose, but donтАЩt give a sign of what youтАЩre about; or half a hundred of тАЩem will combine together and get this fellow who has bolted, out of reach for good. Keep it quiet, and the thieves will grow in confidence by little and little, and we shall have тАЩem.тАЭ + 

тАЬVery sagacious indeed, sir,тАЭ said Mrs.┬аSparsit. тАЬVery interesting. The old woman you mentioned, sirтБатАФтАЭ + 

тАЬThe old woman I mentioned, maтАЩam,тАЭ said Bounderby, cutting the matter short, as it was nothing to boast about, тАЬis not laid hold of; but, she may take her oath she will be, if that is any satisfaction to her villainous old mind. In the meantime, maтАЩam, I am of opinion, if you ask me my opinion, that the less she is talked about, the better.тАЭ + 

The same evening, Mrs.┬аSparsit, in her chamber window, resting from her packing operations, looked towards her great staircase and saw Louisa still descending. + 

She sat by Mr.┬аHarthouse, in an alcove in the garden, talking very low; he stood leaning over her, as they whispered together, and his face almost touched her hair. тАЬIf not quite!тАЭ said Mrs.┬аSparsit, straining her hawkтАЩs eyes to the utmost. Mrs.┬аSparsit was too distant to hear a word of their discourse, or even to know that they were speaking softly, otherwise than from the expression of their figures; but what they said was this: + 

тАЬYou recollect the man, Mr.┬аHarthouse?тАЭ + 

тАЬOh, perfectly!тАЭ + 

тАЬHis face, and his manner, and what he said?тАЭ + 

тАЬPerfectly. And an infinitely dreary person he appeared to me to be. Lengthy and prosy in the extreme. It was knowing to hold forth, in the humble-virtue school of eloquence; but, I assure you I thought at the time, тАШMy good fellow, you are overdoing this!тАЩтАКтАЭ + 

тАЬIt has been very difficult to me to think ill of that man.тАЭ + 

тАЬMy dear LouisaтБатАФas Tom says.тАЭ Which he never did say. тАЬYou know no good of the fellow?тАЭ + 

тАЬNo, certainly.тАЭ + 

тАЬNor of any other such person?тАЭ + 

тАЬHow can I,тАЭ she returned, with more of her first manner on her than he had lately seen, тАЬwhen I know nothing of them, men or women?тАЭ + 

тАЬMy dear Louisa, then consent to receive the submissive representation of your devoted friend, who knows something of several varieties of his excellent fellow-creaturesтБатАФfor excellent they are, I am quite ready to believe, in spite of such little foibles as always helping themselves to what they can get hold of. This fellow talks. Well; every fellow talks. He professes morality. Well; all sorts of humbugs profess morality. From the House of Commons to the House of Correction, there is a general profession of morality, except among our people; it really is that exception which makes our people quite reviving. You saw and heard the case. Here was one of the fluffy classes pulled up extremely short by my esteemed friend Mr.┬аBounderbyтБатАФwho, as we know, is not possessed of that delicacy which would soften so tight a hand. The member of the fluffy classes was injured, exasperated, left the house grumbling, met somebody who proposed to him to go in for some share in this bank business, went in, put something in his pocket which had nothing in it before, and relieved his mind extremely. Really he would have been an uncommon, instead of a common, fellow, if he had not availed himself of such an opportunity. Or he may have originated it altogether, if he had the cleverness.тАЭ + 

тАЬI almost feel as though it must be bad in me,тАЭ returned Louisa, after sitting thoughtful awhile, тАЬto be so ready to agree with you, and to be so lightened in my heart by what you say.тАЭ + 

тАЬI only say what is reasonable; nothing worse. I have talked it over with my friend Tom more than onceтБатАФof course I remain on terms of perfect confidence with TomтБатАФand he is quite of my opinion, and I am quite of his. Will you walk?тАЭ + 

They strolled away, among the lanes beginning to be indistinct in the twilightтБатАФshe leaning on his armтБатАФand she little thought how she was going down, down, down, Mrs.┬аSparsitтАЩs staircase. + 

Night and day, Mrs.┬аSparsit kept it standing. When Louisa had arrived at the bottom and disappeared in the gulf, it might fall in upon her if it would; but, until then, there it was to be, a-building, before Mrs.┬аSparsitтАЩs eyes. And there Louisa always was, upon it. + 

And always gliding down, down, down! + 

Mrs.┬аSparsit saw James Harthouse come and go; she heard of him here and there; she saw the changes of the face he had studied; she, too, remarked to a nicety how and when it clouded, how and when it cleared; she kept her black eyes wide open, with no touch of pity, with no touch of compunction, all absorbed in interest. In the interest of seeing her, ever drawing, with no hand to stay her, nearer and nearer to the bottom of this new GiantтАЩs Staircase. + 

With all her deference for Mr.┬аBounderby as contradistinguished from his portrait, Mrs.┬аSparsit had not the smallest intention of interrupting the descent. Eager to see it accomplished, and yet patient, she waited for the last fall, as for the ripeness and fullness of the harvest of her hopes. Hushed in expectancy, she kept her wary gaze upon the stairs; and seldom so much as darkly shook her right mitten (with her fist in it), at the figure coming down. + 