John, Nell's brother tells Dick Swiveller that she's "nearly fourteen" - the same age as Juliet.
No, it's never clear exactly what Quilp intends to do to her. It's one of Dickens's most puzzling plots. Quilp is a great villain but we never really find out what the purpose of his villainy actually is. Still, the descriptions of his meals are terrific: not only eggshells but also gigantic prawns "with the heads and tails on" and boiling liquor, like the rioters in Barnaby Rudge.
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