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《Little Dorrit《小杜丽》》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在学术论文-天天文库。
1、PREFACETOTHE1857EDITIONIhavebeenoccupiedwiththisstory,duringmanyworkinghoursoftwoyears.Imusthavebeenveryillemployed,ifIcouldnotleaveitsmeritsanddemeritsasawhole,toexpressthemselvesonitsbeingreadasawhole.But,asitisnotunreasonabletosupposethatImayhavehelditsthreadswithamorecontinuousat
2、tentionthananyoneelsecanhavegiventhemduringitsdesultorypublication,itisnotunreasonabletoaskthattheweavingmaybelookedatinitscompletedstate,andwiththepatternfinished.IfImightofferanyapologyforsoexaggeratedafictionastheBarnaclesandtheCircumlocutionOffice,Iwouldseekitinthecommonexperienc
3、eofanEnglishman,withoutpresumingtomentiontheunimportantfactofmyhavingdonethatviolencetogoodmanners,inthedaysofaRussianwar,andofaCourtofInquiryatChelsea.IfImightmakesoboldastodefendthatextravagantconception,MrMerdle,IwouldhintthatitoriginatedaftertheRailroad-shareepoch,inthetimesoface
4、rtainIrishbank,andofoneortwootherequallylaudableenterprises.IfIweretopleadanythinginmitigationofthepreposterousfancythatabaddesignwillsometimesclaimtobeagoodandanexpresslyreligiousdesign,itwouldbethecuriouscoincidencethatithasbeenbroughttoitsclimaxinthesepages,inthedaysofthepublicexa
5、minationoflateDirectorsofaRoyalBritishBank.But,Isubmitmyselftosufferjudgmenttogobydefaultonallthesecounts,ifneedbe,andtoaccepttheassurance(ongoodauthority)thatnothinglikethemwaseverknowninthisland.SomeofmyreadersmayhaveaninterestinbeinginformedwhetherornoanyportionsoftheMarshalseaPri
6、sonareyetstanding.Ididnotknow,myself,untilthesixthofthispresentmonth,whenIwenttolook.Ifoundtheouterfrontcourtyard,oftenmentionedhere,metamorphosedintoabuttershop;andIthenalmostgaveupeverybrickofthejailforlost.Wandering,however,downacertainadjacent'AngelCourt,leadingtoBermondsey',Icam
7、eto'MarshalseaPlace:'thehousesinwhichIrecognised,notonlyasthegreatblockoftheformerprison,butaspreservingtheroomsthataroseinmymind's-eyewhenIbecameLittleDorrit'sbiographer.ThesmallestboyIeverconversedwith,carryingthelargestbabyIeversaw,offeredasupernaturallyintelligentexplanationofthe
8、localityinit
