Page:The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club.djvu/661

555 THE PICKWICK CLUB.

555

lejive off till late at night owen to his havin vound his-self up vith brandy and vater and not being able to stop his-self till he got a little sober which took a many hours to do the doctor says that if she'd sval- lo'd varm brandy and vater artervards insted of afore she mightn't have been no vus her veels wos immedetly greased and everythink done to set her a goin as could be inwented your farther had hopes as she vould have vorked round as usual but just as she wos a turnen the corner my boy she took the wrong road and vent down hill vith a welocity you never see and notvithstandin that the drag was put on drectly by the medikel man it wornt of no use at all for she paid the last pike at tventy minutes afore six o'clock yesterday evenin havin done the jou- ney wery much under the reglar time vich praps was partly owen to her haven taken in wery little luggage by the vay your father says that if you vill come and see me Sammy he vill take it as a wery great favor for I am wery lonely Samivel N. B he vill have it spelt that vay vich I say ant right and as there is sich a many things to settle he is sure your guvner wont object of course he vill not Sammy for I knows him better so he sends his dooty in vhich I join and am Samivel infernally yours


 * ' Tony Veller."

" Wot a incomprehensible letter," said Sam; "^ who's to know wot it means vith all this he-ing and I-ing ! It ain't ray father's writin' 'cept this here signater in print letters ; that's his."

" Perhaps he got somebody to write it for him^ and signed it himself afterwards," said the pretty housemaid.

" Stoy) a minit," replied Sam, running over the letter again, and pausing here and there to reflect as he did so. " You've hit it. The gen'lm'n as wrote it, wos a tellin' all about the misfortun' in a proper ray, and then my father comes a lookin' over him, and complicates the whole concern by puttin' his oar in. That's just the wery sort o' thing he'd do. You're right, Mary, my dear."

Having satisfied himself upon this point, Sam read the letter all over, once more, and, appearing to form a clear notion of its contents for the first time, ejaculated thoughtfully, as he folded it up : —

" And so the poor creature's dead ! I'm sorry for it. She warn't a bad-disposed 'ooman if them shepherds had let her alone. I'm wery sorry for it."

Mr. VVeller uttered these words in so serious a manner, that the pretty housemaid cast down her eyes and looked very grave.

tle sigh, *' it wos to be — and wos, as the old lady said arter she'd married the footman, can't be helped now, can it, Mary ? '*
 * ' Hows'ever," said Sam, putting the letter in his pocket, with a gen-

Mary shook her head, and sighed too.

" I must apply to the hemperor for leave of absence," said Sam.

Mary sighed again, — the letter was so very affecting.

"Goodbye!" said Sam.

" Good bye," rejoined the pretty housemaid, turning her head away.

" Well, shake hands, won't you ? " said Sam.

The pretty housemaid put out a hand which, although it was a housemaid's, was a very small one, and rose to go.