Page:The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club.djvu/679

573 THE PICKWICK CLUB. 573

CHAPTER LIII.

CONTAIXING SOME PARTICULARS RELATIVE TO THE DOUBLE KNOCK, AND OTHER MATTERS, AMONG WHICH CERTAIN INTE- RESTING DISCLOSURES RELATIVE TO MR. SNODGRASS AND A YOUNG LADY ARE BY NO MEANS IRRELEVANT TO THIS HIS- TORY.

The object that presented itself to the eyes of the astonished clerk was a bov — a wonderfully fat bov — habited as a servino: lad, standing upright on the mat, with his eyes closed as if in sleep. He had never seen such a fat boy in or out of a travelling caravan ; and this, cou- pled with the utter calmness and repose of his appearance, so very different from what was reasonably to have been expected of the in- flict er of such knocks, smote him with wonder.

"What's the matter? " enquired the clerk.

The extraordinary boy replied not a word, but he nodded once, and seemed, to the clerk's imagination, to snore feebly.


 * ' Where do you come from ? " enquired the clerk.

The boy made no sign. He breathed heavily, but in all other respects was motionless.

The clerk repeated the question thrice, and receiving no answer, prepared to shut the door, when the boy suddenly opened his eyes, winked several times, sneezed once, and raised his hand as if to repeat the knocking. Finding the door open he stared about him with great astonishment, and at length fixed his eyes on Mr. Lowten's face.

" What the devil do you knock in that way for ? '' enquired the clerk, angrily.

'' What way ? " said the boy in a slow, sleepy voice.

'* Why, like forty hackney coachmen," replied the clerk.

'* Because master said I wasn't to leave off knocking till they opened the door, for fear I should go to sleep," said the boy.

'^ Well," said the clerk, "^ what message have you brought .'' *'

'* He's down stairs," rejoined the boy.

''Who.?"


 * Master. He wants to know whether you're at home."

Mr. Lowten bethought himself at this juncture of looking out of the window. Seeing an open carriage with a hearty old gentleman in it, looking up very anxiously, he ventured to beckon him, on which the old gentleman jumped out directly.

" That's your master in the carriage, I suppose } " said Lowten.

The boy nodded.

All further enquiries were superseded by the appearance of old Wardle, who, running up stairs and just recognising Lowten, passed at once into Mr. Perker's room.