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People who call other people »Dearie« are nowadays mostly characters in novels, where they
 - might be intoxicated, groggily grabbing your arm
 
 - might be nurses (»This won't hurt a bit!«)
 
 - or matrons of orphanages that you the hero/ine quickly run away from so the plot can get underway
 
 - or proprietors of dusty curiosity shops
 
 Only in rare cases, in the case of a character like KD's Frank Leigh Dearie, is Dearie a proper name. We're watching Frank to see just what kind of a character he might be.
 
 
 
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