Timewenton，andtheturnkeybegantofail。Hischestswelled，andhislegsgotweak，andhewasshortofbreath。Thewell-wornwoodenstoolwas’beyondhim，’hecomplained。Hesatinanarm-
chairwithacushion，andsometimeswheezedso，forminutestogether，thathecouldn’tturnthekey。Whenhewasoverpoweredbythesefits，thedebtoroftenturneditforhim。
’Youandme，’saidtheturnkey，onesnowywinter’snightwhenthelodge，withabrightfireinit，wasprettyfullofcompany，’istheoldestinhabitants。Iwasn’theremyselfabovesevenyearbeforeyou。Ishan’tlastlong。WhenI’moffthelockforgoodandall，you’llbetheFatheroftheMarshalsea。’
Theturnkeywentoffthelockofthisworldnextday。Hiswordswererememberedandrepeated；andtraditionafterwardshandeddownfromgenerationtogeneration——aMarshalseagenerationmightbecalculatedasaboutthreemonths——thattheshabbyolddebtorwiththesoftmannerandthewhitehair，wastheFatheroftheMarshalsea。
Andhegrewtobeproudofthetitle。Ifanyimpostorhadarisentoclaimit，hewouldhaveshedtearsinresentmentoftheattempttodeprivehimofhisrights。Adispositionbegantobeperceivedinhimtoexaggeratethenumberofyearshehadbeenthere；itwasgenerallyunderstoodthatyoumustdeductafewfromhisaccount；
hewasvain，thefleetinggenerationsofdebtorssaid。
Allnew-comerswerepresentedtohim。Hewaspunctiliousintheexactionofthisceremony。Thewitswouldperformtheofficeofintroductionwithoverchargedpompandpoliteness，buttheycouldnoteasilyoverstephissenseofitsgravity。Hereceivedtheminhispoorroomhedislikedanintroductioninthemereyard，asinformal——athingthatmighthappentoanybody，withakindofbowed-downbeneficence。TheywerewelcometotheMarshalsea，hewouldtellthem。Yes，hewastheFatheroftheplace。Sotheworldwaskindenoughtocallhim；andsohewas，ifmorethantwentyyearsofresidencegavehimaclaimtothetitle。Itlookedsmallatfirst，buttherewasverygoodcompanythere——amongamixture——necessarilyamixture——andverygoodair。
Itbecameanotunusualcircumstanceforletterstobeputunderhisdooratnight，enclosinghalf-a-crown，twohalf-crowns，nowandthenatlongintervalsevenhalf-a-sovereign，fortheFatheroftheMarshalsea。’Withthecomplimentsofacollegiantakingleave。’
Hereceivedthegiftsastributes，fromadmirers，toapubliccharacter。Sometimesthesecorrespondentsassumedfacetiousnames，astheBrick，Bellows，OldGooseberry，Wideawake，Snooks，Mops，Cutaway，theDogs-meatMan；butheconsideredthisinbadtaste，andwasalwaysalittlehurtbyit。
Inthefulnessoftime，thiscorrespondenceshowingsignsofwearingout，andseemingtorequireaneffortonthepartofthecorrespondentstowhichinthehurriedcircumstancesofdeparturemanyofthemmightnotbeequal，heestablishedthecustomofattendingcollegiansofacertainstanding，tothegate，andtakingleaveofthemthere。Thecollegianundertreatment，aftershakinghands，wouldoccasionallystoptowrapupsomethinginabitofpaper，andwouldcomebackagaincalling’Hi!’
Hewouldlookroundsurprised。’Me？’hewouldsay，withasmile。
Bythistimethecollegianwouldbeupwithhim，andhewouldpaternallyadd，’Whathaveyouforgotten？WhatcanIdoforyou？’
’Iforgottoleavethis，’thecollegianwouldusuallyreturn，’fortheFatheroftheMarshalsea。’
’Mygoodsir，’hewouldrejoin，’heisinfinitelyobligedtoyou。’
But，tothelast，theirresolutehandofoldwouldremaininthepocketintowhichhehadslippedthemoneyduringtwoorthreeturnsabouttheyard，lestthetransactionshouldbetooconspicuoustothegeneralbodyofcollegians。
Oneafternoonhehadbeendoingthehonoursoftheplacetoaratherlargepartyofcollegians，whohappenedtobegoingout，when，ashewascomingback，heencounteredonefromthepoorsidewhohadbeentakeninexecutionforasmallsumaweekbefore，had’settled’inthecourseofthatafternoon，andwasgoingouttoo。
ThemanwasamerePlastererinhisworkingdress；hadhiswifewithhim，andabundle；andwasinhighspirits。
’Godblessyou，sir，’hesaidinpassing。
’Andyou，’benignantlyreturnedtheFatheroftheMarshalsea。
Theywereprettyfardivided，goingtheirseveralways，whenthePlasterercalledout，’Isay!——sir!’andcamebacktohim。
’Itain’tmuch，’saidthePlasterer，puttingalittlepileofhalfpenceinhishand，’butit’swellmeant。’
TheFatheroftheMarshalseahadneverbeenofferedtributeincopperyet。Hischildrenoftenhad，andwithhisperfectacquiescenceithadgoneintothecommonpursetobuymeatthathehadeaten，anddrinkthathehaddrunk；butfustiansplashedwithwhitelime，bestowinghalfpenceonhim，fronttofront，wasnew。
’Howdareyou!’hesaidtotheman，andfeeblyburstintotears。
ThePlastererturnedhimtowardsthewall，thathisfacemightnotbeseen；andtheactionwassodelicate，andthemanwassopenetratedwithrepentance，andaskedpardonsohonestly，thathecouldmakehimnolessacknowledgmentthan，’Iknowyoumeantitkindly。Saynomore。’
’Blessyoursoul，sir，’urgedthePlasterer，’Ididindeed。I’ddomorebyyouthantherestof’emdo，Ifancy。’
’Whatwouldyoudo？’heasked。
’I’dcomebacktoseeyou，afterIwasletout。’
’Givemethemoneyagain，’saidtheother，eagerly，’andI’llkeepit，andneverspendit。Thankyouforit，thankyou!Ishallseeyouagain？’
’IfIliveaweekyoushall。’
Theyshookhandsandparted。Thecollegians，assembledinSymposiumintheSnuggerythatnight，marvelledwhathadhappenedtotheirFather；hewalkedsolateintheshadowsoftheyard，andseemedsodowncast。
TheChildoftheMarshalseaThebabywhosefirstdraughtofairhadbeentincturedwithDoctorHaggage’sbrandy，washandeddownamongthegenerationsofcollegians，likethetraditionoftheircommonparent。Intheearlierstagesofherexistence，shewashandeddowninaliteralandprosaicsense；itbeingalmostapartoftheentrancefootingofeverynewcollegiantonursethechildwhohadbeenborninthecollege。
’Byrights，’remarkedtheturnkeywhenshewasfirstshowntohim，’Ioughttobehergodfather。’
Thedebtorirresolutelythoughtofitforaminute，andsaid，’Perhapsyouwouldn’tobjecttoreallybeinghergodfather？’
’Oh!_I_don’tobject，’repliedtheturnkey，’ifyoudon’t。’
ThusitcametopassthatshewaschristenedoneSundayafternoon，whentheturnkey，beingrelieved，wasoffthelock；andthattheturnkeywentuptothefontofSaintGeorge’sChurch，andpromisedandvowedandrenouncedonherbehalf，ashehimselfrelatedwhenhecameback，’likeagood’un。’
Thisinvestedtheturnkeywithanewproprietaryshareinthechild，overandabovehisformerofficialone。Whenshebegantowalkandtalk，hebecamefondofher；boughtalittlearm-chairandstooditbythehighfenderofthelodgefire-place；likedtohavehercompanywhenhewasonthelock；andusedtobribeherwithcheaptoystocomeandtalktohim。Thechild，forherpart，soongrewsofondoftheturnkeythatshewouldcomeclimbingupthelodge-stepsofherownaccordatallhoursoftheday。Whenshefellasleepinthelittlearmchairbythehighfender，theturnkeywouldcoverherwithhispocket-handkerchief；andwhenshesatinitdressingandundressingadollwhichsooncametobeunlikedollsontheothersideofthelock，andtobearahorriblefamilyresemblancetoMrsBangham——hewouldcontemplateherfromthetopofhisstoolwithexceedinggentleness。Witnessingthesethings，thecollegianswouldexpressanopinionthattheturnkey，whowasabachelor，hadbeencutoutbynatureforafamilyman。Buttheturnkeythankedthem，andsaid，’No，onthewholeitwasenoughtoseeotherpeople’schildrenthere。’
Atwhatperiodofherearlylifethelittlecreaturebegantoperceivethatitwasnotthehabitofalltheworldtolivelockedupinnarrowyardssurroundedbyhighwallswithspikesatthetop，wouldbeadifficultquestiontosettle。Butshewasavery，verylittlecreatureindeed，whenshehadsomehowgainedtheknowledgethatherclaspofherfather’shandwastobealwaysloosenedatthedoorwhichthegreatkeyopened；andthatwhileherownlightstepswerefreetopassbeyondit，hisfeetmustnevercrossthatline。Apitifulandplaintivelook，withwhichshehadbeguntoregardhimwhenshewasstillextremelyyoung，wasperhapsapartofthisdiscovery。
Withapitifulandplaintivelookforeverything，indeed，butwithsomethinginitforonlyhimthatwaslikeprotection，thisChildoftheMarshalseaandthechildoftheFatheroftheMarshalsea，satbyherfriendtheturnkeyinthelodge，keptthefamilyroom，orwanderedabouttheprison-yard，forthefirsteightyearsofherlife。Withapitifulandplaintivelookforherwaywardsister；
forheridlebrother；forthehighblankwalls；forthefadedcrowdtheyshutin；forthegamesoftheprisonchildrenastheywhoopedandran，andplayedathide-and-seek，andmadetheironbarsoftheinnergateway’Home。’
Wistfulandwondering，shewouldsitinsummerweatherbythehighfenderinthelodge，lookingupattheskythroughthebarredwindow，until，whensheturnedhereyesaway，barsoflightwouldarisebetweenherandherfriend，andshewouldseehimthroughagrating，too。
’Thinkingofthefields，’theturnkeysaidonce，afterwatchingher，’ain’tyou？’
’Wherearethey？’sheinquired。
’Why，they’re——overthere，mydear，’saidtheturnkey，withavagueflourishofhiskey。’Justaboutthere。’
’Doesanybodyopenthem，andshutthem？Aretheylocked？’
Theturnkeywasdiscomfited。’Well，’hesaid。’Notingeneral。’
’Aretheyverypretty，Bob？’ShecalledhimBob，byhisownparticularrequestandinstruction。
’Lovely。Fullofflowers。There’sbuttercups，andthere’sdaisies，andthere’s’——theturnkeyhesitated，beingshortoffloralnomenclature——’there’sdandelions，andallmannerofgames。’
’Isitverypleasanttobethere，Bob？’
’Prime，’saidtheturnkey。
’Wasfathereverthere？’
’Hem!’coughedtheturnkey。’Oyes，hewasthere，sometimes。’
’Ishesorrynottobetherenow？’
’N-notparticular，’saidtheturnkey。
’Noranyofthepeople？’sheasked，glancingatthelistlesscrowdwithin。’Oareyouquitesureandcertain，Bob？’