Page:The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club.djvu/251

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wipinp^ the streams of perspiration from his jolly red face; *•' smoking day, isn't it ? "

" It is indeed," replied Mr. Pickwick. " The sun is tremendously hot, even to me. 1 don't know how you must feel it."

" Why/' said the old gentleman, " pretty hot. It's past twelve, though. You see that green hill there ? "

" Certainly."

" That's the place where we are to lunch ; and, by Jove, there's the boy with the l)asket, punctual as clock-work."

" So he is," said Mr. Pickwick, brightening up. " Good boy, that. I'll give him a sHiilling, presently. Now, then, Sam, wheel away."

" Hold on. Sir," said Mr. Weller, invigorated with the prospect of refreshments. *' Out of the vay, young leathers. If you walley my precious life don't upset me, as the genTman said to the driver, when they was a carry in' him to Tyburn." And quickening his pace to a sharp run, Mr. Weller wheeled his mtister nimbly to the green hill, shot him dexterously out by the very side of the basket, and proceeded to unpack it with the utmost dispatch.

" Weal pie," said Mr. WeWer, soliloquising, as he arranged the eatables on the grass. *' Wery good thing is a weal pie, when you know the lady as made it, and is quite sure it an't kittens ; and arter all though, Where's the odds, when they're so like weal that the wery piemen them- selves don't know the difference ? "

" Don't they, Sam ? " said Mr. Pickwick.

" Not they. Sir," replied Mr. Weller, touching his hat. " I lodged in the same house vith a pieman once. Sir, and a wery nice man he was — reg'lar clever chap, too — make pies out o' anything, he could. intimate with him. ' Ah,* says he, ' I do — a good many/ says he. * You must be wery fond o' cats/ says I. ' Other people is,' says he, a winkin' at me ; * they an't in season till the winter though,' says he. * Not in season ! ' says I. * No,' says he, ' fruits is in, cats is out.' ' Why, what do you mean ? ' says I. ' Mean ? ' says he. ' That I'll never be a party to the combination o' the butchers, to keep up the prices o' meat,' says he. ' Mr. Weller,' says he, squeezing my hand wery hard, and vispering in my ear — ' don't mention this here agin, but it's the sea- sonin' as does it. They're all made o' them noble animals/ says he, a pointin' to a wery nice little tabby kitten, * and I seasons 'em for beef- steak, weal, or kidney, 'cordin to the demand ; and more than that,' says he, ' I can make a weal a beef-steak, or a beef-steak a kidney, or any one on 'em a mutton, at a minute's notice, just as the market changes, and appetites wary I ' "
 * What a number o' cats you keep, Mr. Brooks/ says I, when I'd got

" He must have been a very ingenious young man, that, Sam/' said Mr. Pickwick, with a slight shudder.

" Just was, Sir," replied Mr. Weller, continuing his occupation of emptying the basket, " and the pies was beautiful. Tongue ; well that's a wery good thing, when it an't a woman's. Bread — knuckle o' ham, reg'lar picter — cold beef in slices, wery good. What's in them stone jars, young touch-and-go ? "