Little Dorrit

Ah, well done, Mrs. Dorrit! A very nice little… girl, indeed!

Yes! Ah, there's a pretty!

Now, would you care to hold her, Mr. Dorrit?

There, there…

There she is.

The first child of the Marshalsea, Mr. Dorrit.

Now, ain't that a distinction?

A new little Dorrit!

Little Amy.

-Good morning, Miss Amy. -Good morning, John.

Morning, miss.

Mind out the way now!

Flintwinch!

Yeah, yeah…

I hear you.

You and your blasted stick.

The girl comes this morning?

She does.

Good. Tell her nothing!

Oh, Lord save us!

Please, ma'am, don't be alarmed.

It's Amy Dorrit, come to call on Mrs. Clennam.

Oh, dear me.

Just a moment.

-Jeremiah! -Now what, woman?

What's the matter with you? Eh?

-Out of the way! -Ohh!

-Yes? What? -Amy Dorrit, sir, to see Mrs. Clennam.

Ah. Yes. You'd better come in.

Thank you, sir. Would I be speaking to Mr. Clennam?

No, you would not.

You're very small, ain't ya?

Yes, sir. I am strong.

Are you, now? You look a shrimpy little thing to me.

Well, she's upstairs. This way.

-Grrrr! -Ah!

It's a bit dark, sir.

She likes it dark, and I'm used to it.

Not afraid of the dark, I hope?

-No, sir. -Good girl.

-Not afraid of me, either, I hope? -No, sir.

Well, you ought to be, 'cause I'm a terror when I'm roused.

Here we are.

Come!

Here she is.

You won't want me.

No, you can go.

-Amy Dorrit? -Yes, ma'am.

Come closer.

Why, you're a child.

I'm 21, Mrs. Clennam.

I know I am small, but I am quite grown up.

Are you?

Mr. Casby tells me you are looking for employment.

Yes, ma'am.

I've brought some samples of my work, ma'am.

Good.

This is good, neat work.

Well, Miss Dorrit

I'm prepared to take you on approval. General duties.

Three days a week, from 8:00 in the morning till 6:00 in the evening,

Sevens 6d a week. You may start this very day. Will that suit?

Yes, ma'am. Very well, ma'am…

You'll find it very quiet here.

There's only myself and Flintwinch and his wife. My husband and son…

My husband and son… are abroad.

Arthur… Put it right.

Put it right… Put it right…

Well, Mr. Clennam! Not long left of our deuced confinement!

What a fate!

To be quarantined in Marseilles, of all places! And for what?

For no very good reason, except we've traveled from the East.

The East is the country of the plague, so they think here.

The East? You call Venice the East? Do they?

Mr. Clennam has been in China, Papa. He's been away for 15 years.

I'm sure he can put up with a few more hours' delay.

Besides, I've enjoying the company here.

Oh, the company!

Well, excellent company, to be sure!

Thank you, Mr. Clennam.

We've enjoyed these days together, haven't we, Tattycoram?

Yes, miss.

It's getting so hot!

Tatty, would you carry my shawl for me?

I hate you.

All of you, hate you with your kindness and your charity

and your pretty faces and your baby names, like I was a toy or a doll…

Papa, shall we join Mama downstairs?

No, no, you go ahead, Pet, I'll follow on.

-À bientôt, Mr. Clennam! -A presto, Miss Meagles.

You have a very lovely daughter, Mr. Meagles.

Yes, yes, I do. And Mrs. Meagles and I are very glad you think so, Mr. Clennam.

Very glad, indeed.

-There you are. -Why are you always following me?

Go away! You don't care for me!

Oh, but I do… Harriet.

They're waiting for you.

I won't come.

I'll run away. Or I'll curl up and die here.

No, you won't.

You'll be patient, and bear it all.

I thought they took me in to be part of their family,

but they treat me like dirt.

Like I was nothing!

Well, of course they do.

I was like you once.

No… Go away.

-I'm frightened of you. -And why is that?

You see right through me.

You see all my badness.

You make me worse. You make me say things I don't mean…

I… I don't hate them.

They're good and kind, and I'm a wicked, thankless creature.

Have it your own way.

Here is my address. If ever you want to come to me

you may.

-Thank you, Mr. Flintwinch. -Eight o'clock tomorrow, then.

Hold on.

Where do we send to if we need to get word to you?

Oh…

Care of Mr. Plornish, Bleeding Heart Yard, if you please, Mr. Flintwinch.

Good day.

Didn't care to divulge her address.

Nor would you, I daresay,

if you lived in a debtors' prison, Flintwinch.

Plenty of people in debtors' prisons.

Some of them even deserve to be there.

God has brought this child to my door.

I cannot avert my eyes.

Ah, our boat is here. We're free at last.

And you're bound for London, Mr. Clennam?

Yes. Some business to settle first.

And then?

And then I'm going to start my life all over again.

Well, now!

Oh, at last, Tatty! You can help me with these boxes.

Miss Wade, can I offer you any assistance in your arrangements?

I'm obliged to you, but I prefer to go my own way and in my own manner.

Well, goodbye, Miss Wad.! I suppose we may never meet again.

In our course through life,

we will meet the people who are coming to meet us, Mr. Meagles.

They may be coming thousands of miles over the sea,

they may be close at hand now,

they may be coming, for all you know,

from the vilest sweepings of this very town.

Goodbye.

Sacrebleu!

What a hellhole this place is!

And I a gentleman, born to command.

-Senz'altro, signore. -Senz'altro, signore.

Imbecile.

What a fate!

To be locked up with a petty smuggler, and I

a distinguished murderer.

Altro, signore. Altro.

Altro, signore!

I could murder you… here and now.

What do you say, hmm?

Two for the price of one, hmm?

Huh?

Little Cavalletto.

You think I killed my wife for her money?

I would have killed her for nothing!

But can they prove it? I think not!

I have laid out a little money, here and there…

Thank you, Mr. Chivery.

Miss Dorrit.

Ah, all well, Miss Amy?

Very well, thank you, John.

I got the job at that Mrs. Clennam's.

But please, not to tell father.

Whatever you say, Amy.

Well, I'll…

Ah! Ah… I looked in on your father, Amy.

He… He was fretting a bit, asking where you were.

I… I told him you'd be along very soon, and that calmed him.

Thank you, John. That's very kind of you.

I'd better go to him.

Oh, Pa!

I know, son. I know.

Father?

-It's Amy. Amy…

Where have you been? You know I don't like to be left.

But you've been well looked after, Father.

Mr. Chivery and John look after you.

Yes, I suppose. But it isn't satisfactory.

They have others to look after besides me.

What if I were to choke or have a fit,

sink down in a swoon with no one by?

And, you know…

I don't always feel they afford me the respect that is due to me.

I am sure they do, Father.

I am the Father of the Marshalsea, you know?

An honorary title, to be sure,

but I fancy it carries a certain weight, a certain gravitas.

And only this morning, while you were out,

a very well-connected gentleman who was visiting the establishment

asked to be introduced to the Father of the Marshalsea.