BOOK THE FIRST: THE CUP AND THE LIP
Chapter 11: Podsnappery (continued)
An approving murmur arose from the heads of tribes; as saying,
'There you have him! Hold him!'
He was not aware (the meek man submitted of himself) that he
was driving at any ization. He had no favourite ization that he
knew of. But he certainly was more staggered by these terrible
occurrences than he was by names, of howsoever so many
syllables. Might he ask, was dying of destitution and neglect
necessarily English?
'You know what the population of London is, I suppose,' said Mr
Podsnap.
The meek man supposed he did, but supposed that had absolutely
nothing to do with it, if its laws were well administered.
'And you know; at least I hope you know;' said Mr Podsnap, with
severity, 'that Providence has declared that you shall have the poor
always with you?'
The meek man also hoped he knew that.
'I am glad to hear it,' said Mr Podsnap with a portentous air. 'I am
glad to hear it. It will render you cautious how you fly in the face
of Providence.'
In reference to that absurd and irreverent conventional phrase, the
meek man said, for which Mr Podsnap was not responsible, he the
meek man had no fear of doing anything so impossible; but--
But Mr Podsnap felt that the time had come for flushing and
flourishing this meek man down for good. So he said:
'I must decline to pursue this painful discussion. It is not pleasant
to my feelings; it is repugnant to my feelings. I have said that I do
not admit these things. I have also said that if they do occur (not
that I admit it), the fault lies with the sufferers themselves. It is not
for ME'--Mr Podsnap pointed 'me' forcibly, as adding by
implication though it may be all very well for YOU--'it is not for
me to impugn the workings of Providence. I know better than that,
I trust, and I have mentioned what the intentions of Providence are.
Besides,' said Mr Podsnap, flushing high up among his hair-
brushes, with a strong consciousness of personal affront, 'the
subject is a very disagreeable one. I will go so far as to say it is an
odious one. It is not one to be introduced among our wives and
young persons, and I--' He finished with that flourish of his arm
which added more expressively than any words, And I remove it
from the face of the earth.
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