Quilp kept the chaise in sight, mingled with the crowd, learnt the single gentleman's errand, and its failure, and having possessed himself of all that it was material to know, hurried off, reached the inn before him, had the interview just now detailed, and shut himself up in the little room in which he hastily reviewed all these occurrences.
'You are there, are you, my friend ?' he repeated, greedily biting his nails.

'I am suspected and thrown aside, and Kit's the confidential agent, is he?
I shall have to dispose of him, I fear.

If we had come up with them this morning,' he continued, after a thoughtful pause, 'I was ready to prove a pretty good claim.

I could have made my profit.
But for these canting hypocrites, the lad and his mother, I could get this fiery gentleman as comfortably into my net as our old friend--our mutual friend, ha! ha!--and chubby, rosy Nell.

At the worst, it's a golden opportunity, not to be lost.