Having returned to London a wealthier man
than he had left it, Mr. Headstone was naturally in want of a
set of friends and acquaintances suited to his newly acquired status. These it
was not difficult to obtain, and an announcement in the society pages of the city’s
reputable newspapers was enough to admit him into the ranks of privilege and
fortune. Chief amongst this tribe was the Barnacle family, and chief amongst
the Barnacles – for they were a very high family, and a very large family – was
Lord Decimus Tite Barnacle, his wife Lady Jemima Bilberry; his nephew Mr. Tite
Barnacle, and his son Clarence Barnacle, who, on account of his youth, had had as
yet no title conferred upon him by the nation, and was universally referred to
as Barnacle Junior. It was with this gentleman that Mr. Headstone signified his
desire to confer when he paid a visit one day to the Circumlocution Office. The
Circumlocution Office was (as everybody knows without being told) the most
important Department under Government. The Barnacle family had for some time
helped to administer this glorious establishment, and were entirely responsible
for the reputation that it enjoyed.
Mr Charles Dickens
