Quote by Charles Dickens

It was the shadow of Some one who had gone by long before: of Some one who had gone on far away quite out of reach, never, never to come back. It was bright to look at; and when the tiny woman showed it to the Princess, she was proud of it with all her heart, as a great, great, treasure. When the Princess had considered it a little while, she said to the tiny woman, And you keep watch over this, every day? And she cast down her eyes, and whispered, Yes. Then the Princess said, Remind me why. To which the other replied, that no one so good and so kind had ever passed that way, and that was why in the beginning. She said, too, that nobody missed it, that nobody was the worse for it, that Some one had gone on to those who were expecting him-- 'Some one was a man then?' interposed Maggy. Little Dorrit timidly said yes, she believed so; and resumed:'-- Had gone on to those who were expecting him, and that this remembrance was stolen or kept back from nobody. The Princess made answer, Ah! But when the cottager died it would be discovered there. The tiny woman told her No; when that time came, it would sink quietly into her own grave, and would never be found.

Summary

This quote is from Charles Dickens' novel "Little Dorrit". It depicts a conversation between the Princess and a tiny woman regarding a shadow, which represents the memory of someone who has gone far away and will never return. The Princess is proud of this shadow as it holds great value to her. The tiny woman explains that she keeps watch over it because the person associated with the shadow was incredibly good and kind. She assures the Princess that nobody misses the shadow, and when the time comes, it will disappear along with her own secret grave, never to be found.