( Dickens The Pickwick papers ) 'I am Mr. Perker's laundress,' replied the woman.
That's unfortunate,' said Mr. Pickwick; 'where's his clerk? Do youknow?Yes, I know where he is, but he won't thank me for telling you,'replied the laundress.
This speech was accompanied with such a very expressive look at thatparticular portion of Mr. Smangle's attire, by the appearance of whichthe skill of laundresses in getting up gentlemen's linen is generallytested, that he was fain to turn upon his heel, and, for the present atany rate, to give up all design on Mr. Pickwick's purse and wardrobe.
Notwithstanding all the expedition he had used,however, the gate had been closed a good half-hour when he reached it,and by the time he had discovered Mr. Perker's laundress, who livedwith a married daughter, who had bestowed her hand upon a non-residentwaiter, who occupied the one-pair of some number in some street closelyadjoining to some brewery somewhere behind Gray's Inn Lane, it waswithin fifteen minutes of closing the prison for the night.
The noise of unlocking andopening doors echoed and re-echoed on every side; heads appeared as ifby magic in every window; the porters took up their stations for theday; the slipshod laundresses hurried off; the postman ran from house tohouse; and the whole legal hive was in a bustle.