Page:The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club.djvu/573

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THE PICKWICK CLUB. 479

" Just mind that 'ere paper and the pot, old feller, will you ? " said Sam. *' I'm a comin'. Blessed, if they wos a callin' me to the bar, they couldn't make more noise about it."

Accompanying these words with a gentle rap on the head of the young gentleman before noticed, who, unconscious of his close vicinity to the person in request, was screaming " Weller" with all his might, Sam hastened across the ground, and ran up the steps into the hall. Here, the first object that met his eyes was his beloved father sitting on a bottom stair, with his hat in his hand, shouting out "Weller" in his very loudest tone, at half-minute intervals.

" Wot are you a roarin'i at?" said Sam impetuously, when the old gentleman had discharged himself of another shout ; " makin' yourself so precious hot that you looks like a aggrawated glass-blower. "VYot's the matter ? "

gone for a walk round the Regency Park, Sammy."
 * Aha !" replied the old gentleman, " I begun to be afeerd that you'd

"Come," said Sam, "none o' them taunts agin the wictim o' avarice, and come off that 'ere step. Wot are you a settin' down there for ? I don't live there." , " I've got sitch a game for you, Sammy," said the elder Mr. Weller, rising.

" Stop a minit," said Sam, " you're all vite behind."

" That's right, Sammy, rub it off," said Mr. Weller, as his son dusted him. " It might look personal here, if vun valked about vith any vite- vash on vun's clothes, eh, Sammy ? "

As Mr. Weller exhibited in this place unequivocal symptoms of an approaching fit of chuckling, Sam interposed to stop it.

'* Keep quiet, do," said Sam, "there never vos such a old picter-card born. Vot are you bustin'vith, now.'*"

"Sammy," said Mr. Weller, wiping his forehead, "I'm afeerd that vun o' these days I shall laugh myself into a appleplexy, my boy."

" V'ell, then, wot do you do it for.^^" said Sam. "Now, then, wot have you got to say ? "

"Who do you think 's come here vith me, Samivel.^" said Mr. Weller, drawing back a pace or two, pursing up his mouth, and ex- tending his eye-brows.

''Pell.? "said Sam.

Mr. Weller shook his head, and his red cheeks expanded with the laughter that was endeavouring to find a vent.

" Mottled- faced man, p'r'aps?" suggested Sam.

Again Mr. Weller shook his head.

" Who then .?" asked Sam.

" Your mother-in-law," said Mr. Weller ; and it was lucky he did say it, or his cheeks must inevitably have cracked from their most un- natural distension.

" Your mother-in-law, Sammy," said IMr. Weller, " and the red- nosed man, my boy; and the red-nosed man. Ho ! ho! ho!"

With this, Mr. Weller launched into convulsions of laughter, while Sam regarded him with a broad grin gradually overspreading his whole countenance.

" They've come to have a little serous talk vith you, Samivel," said