Page:The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club.djvu/446

364 364 POSTHUMOUS PAPERS OF

" The defendant, Mr. Pickwick, was holding the plaintiff in his arms, with his hands clasping her waist," replied Mr. Winkle with natural hesitation, " and the plaintiff appeared to have fainted away."

" Did you hear the defendant say anything ?"

" I heard him call Mrs. Bardell a good creature, and I heard him ask her to compose herself, for what a situation it was, if any hody should come, or words to that effect."

" Now, Mr. Winkle, I have only one more question to ask you, and I beg you to bear in mind his lordship's caution. Will you undertake to swear that Pickwick, the defendant, did not say on the occasion in ques- tion — * My dear Mrs. Bardell, you're a good creature ; compose your- self to this situation, for to this situation you must come, or words to that effect ? ' "

" I — I didn't understand him so, certainly," said Mr. Winkle, astounded at this ingenious dove-tailing of the few words he had heard. '* I was on the staircase, and couldn't hear distinctly ; the impression on my mind is — "

" The gentlemen of the jury want none of the impressions on vour mind, Mr. Winkle, which I fear would be of little service to honest, straight-forward men," interposed Mr. Skimpin. " You were on the staircase, and didn't distinctly hear ; but you will not swear that Pickwick did not make use of the expressions I have quoted ? Do I un- derstand that ?"

" No I will not," replied Mr. W'inkle ; and down sat Mr. Skimpin with a triumphant countenance.

Mr. Pickwick's case had not gone off in so particularly happy a man- ner, up to this point, that it could very well afford to have any addi- tional suspicion cast upon it. But as it could afford to be placed in a rather better light, if possible, Mr. Phunky rose for the purpose of getting something important out of Mr. Winkle in cross-examination^ Whether he did get anything important out of him, will immediately appear.

" I believe, Mr. Winkle," said Mr. Phunky, " that Mr. Pickwick is not a young man ?"

« Oh no," replied Mr. Winkle ; " old enough to be my father ?"

wick a long time. Had you ever any reason to suppose or believe that he was about to be married?"
 * « You have told my learned friend that you have known Mr. Pick-

" Oh no ; certainly not ;" replied Mr. Winkle with so much eagerness, that Mr. Phunky ought to have got him out of the box with all pos- sible dispatch. Lawyers hold that there are two kinds of particularly bad witnesses, a reluctant witness, and a too-wiLing witness; it was' Mr. Winkle's fate to figure in both characters.

Phunky in a most smooth and complacent manner. " Did you even see any thing in Mr. Pickwick's manner and conduct towards the oppo-j site sex to induce you to believe that he ever contemplated matrimony of late years, in any case ?"
 * ' I will even go further than this, Mr. Winkle," continued Mr. I

" Oh no ; certainly not," replied Ivir Winkle.