Page:The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club.djvu/504

416 416 POSTHUMOUS PAPERS OF

doors within five miles of Bristol, taking them at a hundred and fifty or two hundred a day, and endeavouring to find Miss Arabella by that ex- pedient, when accident all of a sudden threw in his way what he might have sat there for a twelvemonth and yet not found without it.

Into the lane where he sat, there opened three or four garden gates, belonging to as many houses, which though detached from each other, were only separated by their gardens. As these were large and long, and well planted with trees, the houses were not only at some distance oif, but the greater part of them were nearly concealed from view. Sam was sitting with his eyes fixed upon the dust-heap outside the next gate to that by which the groom had disappeared, profoundly turning over in his mind the difficulties of his present undertaking, when the gate opened, and a female servant came out into the lane to shake some bed-side carpets.

Sam was so very busy with his own thoughts, that it is probable he would have taken no more notice of the young woman than just raising his head and remarking that she had a very neat and pretty figure, if his feelings of gallantry had not been most strongly roused by observing that she had no one to help her, and that the carpets seemed too heavy for her single strength. Mr. Weller was a gentleman of great gallantry in his own way, and he no sooner remarked this circumstance than he hastily rose from the large stone, and advanced towards her.

" My dear," said Sam, sliding up with an air of great respect, " You'll spile that wery pretty figure out o' all perportion if you shake them carpets by yourself. Let me help you."

The young lady, who had been coyly affecting not to know that a gentleman was so near, turned round as Sam spoke — no doubt (indeed she said so, afterwards) to decline this offer from a perfect stranger — when instead of speaking, she started back, and uttered a half-^suppressed scream. Sam was scarcely less staggered, for in the countenance of the well-shaped female servant, he beheld the very features of his Valentine — the pretty housemaid from Mr. Nupkins's.

" Wy, Mary my dear ! " said Sam. i

" Lauk, Mr. Weller," said Mary, " how you do frighten one !"

Sam made no verbal answer to this complaint, nor can we precisely say what reply he did make. We merely know that after a short pause Mary said, *' Lor do adun Mr. Weller," and that his hat had fallen off a few moments before — from both of which tokens we should be disposed to infer that one kiss, or more, had passed between the parties.

" Why, how did you come here ? " said Mary, when the conversation to which this interruption had been offered, was resumed.

" O' course I came to look arter you, my darlin," replied Mr. Weller; for once permitting his passion to get the better of his veracity.

" And how did you know I was here ? " inquired Mary. " Who could have told you that I took another service at Ipswich, and that they afterwards moved all the way here ? Who could have told you that, Mr. Weller?"

" Ah to be sure," said Sam with a cunning look, " that's the pint. Who could ha' told me ? "