“Oh!” said she.  “The wards in Jarndyce!  Ve-ry happy, I am sure, to have the honour!  It is a good omen for youth, and hope, and beauty when they find themselves in this place, and don’t know what’s to come of it.”

“Mad!” whispered Richard, not thinking she could hear him.

“Right!  Mad, young gentleman,” she returned so quickly that he was quite abashed.  “I was a ward myself.  I was not mad at that time,” curtsying low and smiling between every little sentence.  “I had youth and hope.  I believe, beauty.  It matters very little now.  Neither of the three served or saved me.  I have the honour to attend court regularly.  With my documents.  I expect a judgment.  Shortly.  On the Day of Judgment.  I have discovered that the sixth seal mentioned in the Revelations is the Great Seal.  It has been open a long time!  Pray accept my blessing.”

As Ada was a little frightened, I said, to humour the poor old lady, that we were much obliged to her.

“Ye-es!” she said mincingly.  “I imagine so.  And here is Conversation Kenge.  With his documents!  How does your honourable worship do?”

“Quite well, quite well!  Now don’t be troublesome, that’s a good soul!” said Mr. Kenge, leading the way back.

“By no means,” said the poor old lady, keeping up with Ada and me.  “Anything but troublesome.  I shall confer estates on both—­which is not being troublesome, I trust?  I expect a judgment.  Shortly.  On the Day of Judgment.  This is a good omen for you.  Accept my blessing!”

She stopped at the bottom of the steep, broad flight of stairs; but we looked back as we went up, and she was still there, saying, still with a curtsy and a smile between every little sentence, “Youth.  And hope.  And beauty.  And Chancery.  And Conversation Kenge!  Ha!  Pray accept my blessing!”

CHAPTER IV

Telescopic Philanthropy

We were to pass the night, Mr. Kenge told us when we arrived in his room, at Mrs. Jellyby’s; and then he turned to me and said he took it for granted I knew who Mrs. Jellyby was.

“I really don’t, sir,” I returned.  “Perhaps Mr. Carstone—­or Miss Clare—­”

But no, they knew nothing whatever about Mrs. Jellyby.  “In-deed!  Mrs. Jellyby,” said Mr. Kenge, standing with his back to the fire and casting his eyes over the dusty hearth-rug as if it were Mrs. Jellyby’s biography, “is a lady of very remarkable strength of character who devotes herself entirely to the public.  She has devoted herself to an extensive variety of public subjects at various times and is at present (until something else attracts her) devoted to the subject of Africa, with a view to the general cultivation of the coffee berry—­and the natives—­and the happy settlement, on the banks of the African rivers, of our superabundant home population.  Mr. Jarndyce, who is desirous to aid any work that is considered likely to be a good work and who is much sought after by philanthropists, has, I believe, a very high opinion of Mrs. Jellyby.”