Page:The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club.djvu/484

398 398 POSTHUMOUS PAPERS OF

at all be seemed to have the makings of a very nice fellow about him

— ^just the man after his own heart.

" You're wery good. Sir," said Sara. " What a lucky feller you »» are.

" How do you mean ?" inquired the gentleman in blue.

" That 'ere young lady," replied Sam. " She knows wot's wot, she does. Ah, I see." Mr. Weller closed one eye, and shook his head from side to side in a manner which was highly gratifying to the personal vanity of the gentleman in blue.

" I'm afraid you're a cunning fellow, Mr. Weller," said that indi- dual.

" No, nOj" said Sam. " I leave all that 'ere to you. It's a great deal more in your way than mine, as the gen'lm'n on the right side o' the garden vail said to the man on the wrong 'un, ven the mad bull wos a cumin' up the lane."

" Well, well, Mr. Weller," said the gentleman in blue, " I think she has remarked my air and manner, Mr. Weller."

" I should think she couldn't wery well be ofFo' that," said Sam.

" Have you any little thing of that kind in 'hand, Sir?" inquired the favoured gentleman in blue, drawing a toothpick from his waistcoat pocket.

" Not exactly," said Sam. " There's no daughters at my place, else o' course I should ha' made up to vun on 'em. As it is, I don't think I can do vith any thin* under a female markis. I might'take up with a young ooman o' large property as hadn't a title, if she made wery fierce love to me — not else."

" Of course not, Mr. Weller," said the gentleman in blue, *' one can't be troubled, you know ; and we know, Mr. Weller — we, who are men of the world — that a good uniform must work its way with the women, sooner or later. In fact, that's the only thing, between you and I, that makes the service worth entering into."

" Just so," said Sam. "That's it, o' couse."^

When this confidential dialogue had gone thus far, glasses were placed round, and every gentleman ordered what he liked best, before the public house shut up. The gentleman in blue and the man in orange, who were the chief exquisites of the party, ordered " cold srub and water," but with the others, gin and water sweet, appeared to be the favourite beverage. Sam called the green grocer a " desp'rate willin," and ordered a large bowl of punch — two circumstances which seemed to raise him very much, in the opinion of the selections.

" Gentlemen," said the man in blue, with an air of the most con- summate dandyism, " I'll give you the ladies ; come."

" Hear, hear I " said Sara, " The young missises."

Here there was a loud cry of " Order," and Mr. John Smauker, as the gentleman who had introduced Mr. Weller into that company, begged to inform him that the word he had just made use of, was un- parliamentary.

" Which word was that 'ere, Sir?" enquired Sam.