Page:The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club.djvu/486

400 400 POSTHUMOUS PAPERS OF

mingled with groans and hisses, prevailed for a quarter of an hour at least.

Mr. WhifFers then added that he feared a portion of this outrage might be traced to his own forbearing and accommodating disposition. He had a distinct recollection of having once consented to eat salt butter, and he had, moreover, on an occasion of sudden sickness in the house, so far forgotten himself as to carry a coal scuttle up to the second floor. He trusted he had not lowered himself in the good opinion of his friends by this frank confession of his faults ; and he hoped the promptness with which he had resented the last unmanly outrage on his feelings to which he had referred, would reinstate him in their good opinion,, if he had.

Mr. WhifFer's address was responded to, with a shout of admiration, and the health of the interesting martyr was drunk in a most enthusi- astic manner ; for this, the martyr returned thanks, and proposed their visiter, Mr. Weller — a gentleman whom he had not the pleasure of an intimate acquaintance with, but who was the friend of Mr. John Srnau- ker, which was a sufficient ktter of recommendation to any society of gentlemen whatever, or wherever. On this account he should have been disposed to have given Mr. Weller's health with all the honors, if his friends had been drinking wine, but as they were taking spirits just by way of a change ; and as it might be inconvenient to empty a tumbler at every toast, he should propose that the honors be under- stood.

At the conclusion of this speech, every body took a sip out of their tumblers in honor of Sam ; and Sam having ladled out, and drank, two full glasses of punch in honor of himself, returned thanks in a neat speech.

" Wery much obliged to you, old fellers," said Sam, ladling away at the punch in the most unembarrassed manner possible, " for this here compliment ; wich, comin' from sich a quarter, is wery overvelmin*. I've heerd a good deal on you as a body, but I vill say, that I never thought you was sich uncommon nice men as I find you air. I only hope you'll take care o' yourselves, and not compromise nothin' o' your dignity, which is a wery charmin' thing to see, when one's out a walkin*, and has always made me wery happy to look at, ever since I was a boy about half as high as the brass-headed stick o' my wery respectable friend. Blazes, there. As to the wictim of oppression in the suit o' brimstone, all I can say of him is, that I hope he'll get jist as good a berth as he deserves ; in vich case it's wery little cold swarry as ever he'll be troubled with agin."

Here Sam sat down with a pleasant smile, and his speech having been vociferously applauded, the company broke up.

<^ Wy, you don't mean to say you're a goin'^ old feller ? '* said Sam Weller to his friend Mr. .John Smauker.

'<! must indeed," said Mr. Smauker; "I promised Bantam."

" Oh, wery well," said Sam ; " that's another thing. P'raps he'd re- sign if you disappinted him. You ain't a goin', Blazes ?'*