? ? ? ? Poor Traddles, who had passed the stage of lying with his head upon the desk, and was relieving himself as usual with a burst of skeletons, said he didn't care. Mr. Mell was ill-used.
? ? ? ? 'Who has ill-used him, you girl?' said Steerforth.
? ? ? ? 'Why, you have,' returned Traddles.
? ? ? ? 'What have I done?' said Steerforth.
? ? ? ? 'What have you done?' retorted Traddles. 'Hurt his feelings, and lost him his situation.'
? ? ? ? 'His feelings?' repeated Steerforth disdainfully. 'His feelings will soon get the better of it, I'll be bound. His feelings are not like yours, Miss Traddles. As to his situation - which was a precious one, wasn't it? - do you suppose I am not going to write home, and take care that he gets some money? Polly?'
? ? ? ? We thought this intention very noble in Steerforth, whose mother was a widow, and rich, and would do almost anything, it was said, that he asked her. We were all extremely glad to see Traddles so put down, and exalted Steerforth to the skies: especially when he told us, as he condescended to do, that what he had done had been done expressly for us, and for our cause; and that he had conferred a great boon upon us by unselfishly doing it. But I must say that when I was going on with a story in the dark that night, Mr.
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