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Now, Mrs Merdle, who really knew her friend Society pretty well, and who knew what Society's mothers were, and what Society's daughters were, and what Society's matrimonial market was, and how prices ruled in it, and what scheming and counter-scheming took place for the high buyers, and what bargaining and huckstering went on, thought in the depths of her capacious bosom that this was a sufficiently good catch. Knowing, however, what was expected of her, and perceiving the exact nature of the fiction to be nursed, she took it delicately in her arms, and put her required contribution of gloss upon it.

As a kind of faint attempt to convince himself that he was the master of the house, he concluded by presenting his forefinger to the parrot, who expressed his opinion on that subject by instantly driving his bill into it.

’Sounds mercenary, to ask what the gentleman is to get with the lady,’ said Mrs Merdle, ‘but Society is perhaps a little mercenary you know, my dear.’

‘As to marriage on the part of a man, my dear, Society requires that he should retrieve his fortunes by marriage. Society requires that he should gain by marriage. Society requires that he should found a handsome establishment my marriage. Society does not see, otherwise, what he has to do with marriage. Bird, be quiet!’

Mrs Merdle was at home, and was in her nest of crimson and gold, with the parrot on a neighbouring stem watching her with his head on one side, as if he took her for another splendid parrot of larger species.

So, at last, Clennam's purpose in remaining was attained, and he could speak to Little Dorrit with nobody by. Maggy counted as nobody, and she was by.

‘Society,’ said Mrs Merdle, with another curve of her little finger, ‘is so difficult to explain to young persons (indeed is so difficult to explain to most persons), that I am glad to hear that. I wish Society was not so arbitrary, I wish it was not so exacting – Bird, be quiet!’

The parrot had given a most piercing shriek, as if its name were Society and it asserted its right to its exactions.

They spoke to him in very loud voices as if he were stone deaf. They constructed sentences, by way of teaching him the language in its purity, such as were adressed by the savages to Captain Cook, or by Friday to Robinson Crusoe. Mrs Plornish was particularly ingenious in this art; and attained so much celebrity for saying ‘Me ope you leg well soon,’ that it was considered in the Yard but a very short remove indeed from speaking Italian.

Mr Flintwinch was slowly beginning, ‘For a gentleman of your habits, there is not in this immediate neighbourhood any hotel –‘ when Mr Blandois took him up.

‘So much for my habits! my dear sir,’ snapping his fingers. ‘A citizen of the world has no habits. That I am, in my poor way, a gentleman, by Heaven! I will not deny, but I have no unaccommodating prejudiced habits. A clean room, a hot dish for dinner, and a bottle of not absolutely poisonous wine, are all I want to-night. But I want that much, without the trouble of going one unnecessary inch to get it.

Er det ikke nederdrægtigt af «Communen» i Paris at den har gået hen og fordærvet mig min fortræffelige stats-theori – eller rettere – ikke-stats-theori! Nu er ideen ødelagt for lange tider, og jeg kan ikke engang anstændigvis fremsætte den på vers. Men den har en sund kerne i sig, det ser jeg så klart; og engang vil den nok blive praktiseret uden al karrikatur.

Så gikk det hele i revers, og vi sto ute ved havet på et lyngloddent svaberg; han minnet om yngste sønnen til en storbonde på Vestlandet, full av planer om Englandstur sommeren 793.

Verdensbegivenhederne optager for øvrigt en stor del af mine tanker. Det gamle illusoriske
Frankrig er slået istykker; når nu også det nye faktiske Preussen er slået istykker, så er vi med et spring inde i en vordende tidsalder. Hej, hvor ideerne da vil ramle rundt omkring os! Og det kan sandelig også være på tiden. Alt det vi til dato lever på, er jo dog kun smulerne fra revolutionsbordet i forrige århundrede, og den kost er jo dog nu længe nok tygget og tygget om igjen. Begreberne trænger til et nyt indhold og en ny forklaring. Frihed, lighed og broderskab er ikke længere de samme ting, som de var i salig Guillotinens dage. Dette er det, som politikerne ikke vil forstå, og derfor hader jeg dem.De mennesker vil kun specialrevolutioner, revolutioner i det ydre, i det politiske o. s. v. Men alt sligt er pilleri. Hvad det gjælder er menneskeåndens revoltering, [..].

Og så den herlige frihedstrang, - den er nu forbi; ja, jeg må i al fald sige, at det eneste jeg elsker ved friheden, er kampen for den; besiddelsen bryder jeg mig ikke om. -

Brand er mig selv i mine bedste øjeblikke, - ligeså visst som jeg ved selvanatomi har bragt for dagen mange træk både i Peer Gynt og i Stensgård. [...] Efter 'Brand' fulgte 'Peer Gynt' ligesom af sig selv.

Tænker De nu at gaa videre paa Forfatterbanen? Dertil skal der noget andet og mere, enn den blotte Naturbegavelse. Man maa have noget at digte paa, et Livsinnhold. Har man ikke det, saa digter man ikke, man skriver kun Bøger.

Først da jeg var bleven gift fik mit liv et vægtigere indhold.

Nu ved jeg meget vel, at et Liv i Ensomhed ikke er et liv i Indholdsløshed. Men Mennesket er dog i aandelig Forstand en langsynet Skabning; vi ser klarest i en stor Afstand; Detaljerne forstyrrer; man maa ud af detm man vil dømme; Sommeren skildrer man bedst paa en Vinterdag.

Men jeg føler mig mere norsk i sind, end nogensinde før; De må ikke tro, hvad så mange trpr, at jeg er uvillig stemt imod mit fædreland. Det er udvæksterne på vort samfundsliv, som jeg afslyr; men de hører ikke organismen til.