- Arthur Clennam: I have thought about you, every day, every hour, every minute, that I have been in here.
- Amy Dorrit: [asks John Chivery] And will you give him a message from me? Will you tell him I sent my undying love?
- Amy Dorrit: Well, the truth is... I have nothing
- [she smiles]
- Amy Dorrit: . Father placed his money with Merdle, just like everybody else. So now will you share my fortune with me?
- Arthur Clennam: Oh my dear love. Gladly!
- John Chivery: Here lie the mortal remains of John Chivery, Assistant Turnkey and later Chief Turnkey of the Marshalsea Prison for Debt. He was unlucky in love and endured a good deal of sorrow, but he rose above it and performed many an act of kindness, even to his rival. And always engraved, on stone, deep into his very heart, is the name of "Amy Dorrit".
- [Mr Merdle has committed suicide. The doctor has called at his house to break the news to Mrs Merdle]
- Doctor: Mr Merdle is dead.
- Scary Butler: [coldly] I see. In that case I should want to give one month's notice.
- Doctor: Mr Merdle has destroyed himself.
- Scary Butler: Yes, it's very unpleasant, Sir, to the feelings of one in my position. I think I should leave immediately.
- Lawyer: Good God, man! If you are not shocked, are you at least not surprised? Your master is dead, and by his own hand.
- Scary Butler: Sir, Mr Merdle never was quite the gentleman and no ungentlemanly act on his part could surprise me.
- [Fanny and Edmund discuss the impact of Mr Merdle's suicide and the collapse of his bank]
- Fanny Dorrit: What a dreadful thing, Sparkler.
- Sparkler: [ineffectually] Horrid. Horrid.
- Fanny Dorrit: And with our mother-of-pearl penknife, too.
- Sparkler: I know, my love - shocking.
- Fanny Dorrit: If I had known what he wanted it for I might not have lent it to him. And now the Coroner's got it, I suppose, and heaven knows when I shall get it back.
- Sparkler: I know, dear heart. It's very... vexing.
- Fanny Dorrit: Are you fearfully cut-up about it, Sparkler? Was you very close to him?
- Sparkler: Well I am a *bit* cut-up about it, Fanny. Of course it's not as if he was my *real* papa, but he wasn't a bad stick. The mater found him fearfully annoying, but I didn't. I think the *bird* was rather fond of him.
- [Sparkler walks over to Merdle's parrot]
- Sparkler: I know *he* was fond of *it*.
- Fanny Dorrit: Sparkler?
- Sparkler: Yes, my dearest love.
- Fanny Dorrit: What is to become of us now? Are we rich or are we poor?
- Sparkler: We may have to tighten our belts a little. Perhaps find a smaller place in a less expensive part of town.
- Fanny Dorrit: [coldly] Such as where?
- Sparkler: [diffidently] Erm... Fulham?
- Fanny Dorrit: [shouts] Fulham?
- [Mrs Merdle has returned from Venice after hearing the news about Mr Merdle's suicide]
- Mrs. Merdle: So, we are ruined. Everything lost.
- Fanny Dorrit: [with barely suppressed glee] Well, ma'am, I believe *you* are ruined. We are not quite. Sparkler still has his job, and I have my own money. And if the worst comes to the worst, I could always go back to the theatre. And, who knows, perhaps you could go back to doing whatever it is that *you* did before Mr Sparkler and Mr Merdle. But I don't think we've come to that just yet. And, Lord knows, we wouldn't see you out on the street, would we, Sparkler?
- Sparkler: Good heavens, no. Heaven forbid.
- Mrs. Merdle: So I am to be dependent on your goodwill, am I?
- Fanny Dorrit: You'll be all right, Mrs M, as long as you remember your Ps and Qs. Now this is the plan. Sparkler and I do not intend to be paying off Merdle's old bills, otherwise we shall soon find ourselves in Queer Street. We shall be leaving rather quietly by the back gate, and rather late at night, and lie low until the fuss dies down. I dare say you're not so grand, but it's what you might have heard of as a "moonlight flit". You may even have done one once or twice in your... younger days. So what d'you say, Mrs M? Are you game for it?
- Mrs. Merdle: My dear Fanny, I am entirely in your hands.
- Fanny Dorrit: [insincerely] That's nice.
- John Chivery: [Knocks. Comes in and sets down writing desk and box]
- Arthur Clennam: Ahh, thank you, John. I'm sorry to have given you any trouble.
- [Silence. Sighs]
- Arthur Clennam: Are you angry with me, John?
- John Chivery: Tell you what, Mr. Clennam. If you weren't under a cloud, which you are, and if it wasn't against all the rules of the Marselsea, which it is, I'd sooner be having a ram with you than shaking your hand! Beg your pardon.
- Arthur Clennam: Freely granted. But, ah, what is it, John?
- John Chivery: Don't mind my sayin' so, sir, you don't look very well to me. How long since you've eaten anythin'?
- Arthur Clennam: Oh, I don't have any appetite. I don't think I could eat.
- John Chivery: Do you not think that even if it's not worthwhile to take care of yourself for your own sake, it's worth doin' for somebody else's?
- Arthur Clennam: Truly, I don't know for whose.
- John Chivery: You don't know whose? You can say that to me?
- Arthur Clennam: I don't understand, John. I don't mean to offend you.
- John Chivery: I had got over it. I had! I might never thought of it again. I may not be a gentleman, but I am a man. Why do you think I found this room for you that you'd like and carried up the things for you when I really felt like knockin' you down? Do you think I did it for your own sake? I didn't do it for you! I did it for her!
- Arthur Clennam: For who?
- John Chivery: For Amy! Because she loves you!
- Arthur Clennam: [Shocked] What?
- John Chivery: Oh, oh! How can you say you don't know it? Anyone with eyes could see it! These walls know it! You're so lofty, so far above the rest of us, you don't even notice it. All the time I was breakin' my heart over her, she was breakin' her's over you!
- [Sobs]
- John Chivery: Well, s'all do now. So if you, uh, won't take anythin' else, I'll say goodnight, Sir.
- Arthur Clennam: Goodnight, John.
- John Chivery: [Holds out hand]
- Arthur Clennam: [Grabs and shakes]
- Plornish: The way I see it Mr Clennam, there's ups and downs... dont ask me why, why ups, why downs, but there are these, you know... but I've heard it given through a truth, that as the world goes goes round, so it comes round again... now you're down now, no doubt about it, but you'll be up, when your turn comes round again.