The Old Curiosity Shop Chapter 23

In which the hapless Mr Richard Swiveller, caught in a maudlin reverie, confides a delicate secret to the cunning dwarf Quilp, whose intentions remain as dark and twisting as his own diminutive figure. The evening unfolds with a game of cribbage laden with guile and surveillance, as Quilp and Frederick Trent forge a wary alliance under the shadow of schemes that overlook the gentle fate of poor Nell.