Page:Cuthbert Bede--Little Mr Bouncer and Tales of College Life.djvu/187

Rh Station, was, in effect, endeavouring to make his hay while the sun shone, by trying to procure a sale from the beneficent patronage of Mr. Bouncer.

Now, to purchase mutton-pies—and that, too, under a hot July sun—from a gentleman whom you have casually met, and the antecedents of whom (and his pies) are altogether hidden from your knowledge, must be a daring experiment under any circumstances and to any person. And as, in the present instance, the outward appearance of the vendor did not offer a sufficient guarantee for the inward excellence of the proffered pie, the proposed transaction did not by any means recommend itself to Mr. Bouncer, who, therefore, promptly and curtly declined the proposal of the individual who represented the peripatetic refreshment-room of the Barham Station. Nevertheless, that greasy-looking personage continued to hold out the specimen of his wares, and to beg the little gentleman to purchase it

"Do try one, sir! it 's only tuppence; and it 's cheap and nourishin' for the money. The finest mutton-pies in Barham or hanywares; made by myself out o' the very primest and juiciest cuts. Just try one, sir! you can do so, free, gracious, and for nothin'; and if you don't like it, you need n't pay for it, and no questions shall be ever axed. You can wash it down with some o' this first-rate pop—only a penny a bottle, and likewise made by myself. The best pop, remember! recommended by the faculty as the primest and wholesomest drink in 'ot weather. Warranted to cure the colic and the gout, pains within and pains without; and all for the small charge of a penny a bottle. One bottle taken with one mutton-pie 'as been known to make the face shine like the best bear's grease; and two