Page:The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club.djvu/680

574 574 POSTHUMOUS PAPERS OF

" Pickwick ! " said the old gentleman, " your hand, my boy ; why have I never heard till the day before yesterday of your suffering your- self to be cooped up in jail ? and why did you let him do it, Perker ? ''

a pinch of snuff, '' you know how obstinate he is."
 * ' I couldn't help it, my dear Sir," replied Perker, with a smile and

" Of course I do, of course I do," replied the old gentleman, '' I am heartily glad to see him, notwithstanding. I will not lose sight of him again in a hurry."

With these words, Wardle shook Mr. Pickwick's hand once more, and, having done the same to Perker, threw himself into an arm-chair, his jolly red face shining again with smiles and health.

" Well, said Wardle,  here are pretty goings on — a pinch of your snuff, Perker, my boy — never were such times, eh .'' "

" What do you mean ? " enquired Mr. Pickwick.

" Mean ! " replied Wardle, " why, I think the girls are all running mad; that's no news, you'll say.'* perhaps it's not, but it's true for all that."

" You have not come up to London, of all places in the world, to tell us that, my dear Sir, have you ? " enquired Perker.

"No, not altogether,'' replied Wardle ; "though it was the main cause of my coming. How's Arabella } "

" Very well," replied Mr. Pickwick, " and will be delighted to see you, 1 am sure."

marrying her myself, one of these odd days. But I am glad of it too, very glad."
 * ' Black-eyed little jilt!" replied Wardle. "I had a great idea of

" How did the intelligence reach you } " asked Mr. Pickwick.

" Oh, it came to my girls, of course," replied Wardle. " Arabella wrote the day before yesterday to say she had made a stolen match without her husband's father's consent, and so you had gone down to get it when his refusing it couldn't prevent the match, and all the rest of it. I thought it a very good time to say something serious to my girls, so I said what a dreadful thing it was that children should marry without their parents' consent, and so forth ; but, bless your hearts, I couldn't make the least impression upon them. They thought it such a much more dreadful thing that there should have been a wedding without bridesmaids, that I might as well have preached to Joe himself."

Here the old gentleman stopped to laugh ; and having done so, to his heart's content, presently resumed.

making and plotting that have been going forward. We have been walking on mines for the last six months, and they're sprung at last."
 * ' But this is not the best' of it, it seems. This is only half the love-

" What do you mean !" exclaimed Mr. Pickwick, turning pale ; "no other secret marriage, I hope } "

"No, no," replied old Wardle; " not so bad as that— no."

'' What then } " enquired Mr. Pickwick ; " am I interested in it ?"

" Shall I answer that question, Perker .'' " said Wardle.

" If you don't commit yourself by doing so, my dear Sir."

" Well then, you are," said Wardle.