Page:The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club.djvu/683

577 THE PICKWICK CLUB. 577

" You are reconciled, then ? " said Perker.

" Not a bit of it," answered Wardle ; " she has been crying and moping ever since, except last night, between tea and supper, when she made a great parade of writing a letter^ that I pretended to take no notice of."

ing from the musing face of INIr. Pickwick to the eager countenance of Wardle, and taking several consecutive pinches of his favourite stimulant.
 * ' You want my advice in this matter, I suppose?" said Perker, look-

''Certainly," replied that gentleman.
 * ^ I suppose so," said Wardle, looking at Mr. Pickwick.

" Well then," said Perker, rising and pushing his chair back, " my advice is, that you both walk away together, or ride away, or get away by some means or other, for I'm tired of you^ and just talk this matter over between you. If you have not settled it by the next time I see you, I'll tell you what to do."

" This is satisfactory," said Wardle, hardly knowing whether to smile or be offended.

great deal better than you know yourselves. You have settled it already, to all intents and purposes."
 * ' Pooh, pooh, my dear Sir," returned Perker, *' I know you both a

Thus expressing himself, the little gentleman poked his snuff-<box, first into the chest of Mr. Pickwick, and then into the waistcoat of Mr. Wardle, upon which they all three laughed, but especially the two last-named gentlemen, who at once shook hands again, without any obvious or particular reason.

" You dine with me to-day," said Wardle to Perker, as he showed them out.

look in, in the evening, at all events."
 * ' Can't promise, my dear Sir, can't promise," replied Perker. '* I'll

having been at length awakened, the two friends departed in Mr. Wardle's carriage, which in common humanity had a dickey behind for the fat boy, who, if there had been a foot-board instead, would have rolled off and killed himself in his very first nap.
 * ' I shall expect you at five," said Wardle. '^ Now, Joe;" and Joe

Driving to the George and Vulture, they found that Arabella and her maid had sent for a hackney-coach immediately on the receipt of a short note from Emily announcing her arrival in town, and had pro- ceeded straight to the Adelphi. As Wardle had business to transact in the city, they sent the carriage and the fat boy to his hotel, with the information that he and Mr. Pickvick would return together to dinner at five o'clock.

Charged with this message, the fat boy returned, slumbering as peaceably in his dickey over the stones as if it had been a down bed on watch-springs. By some extraordinary miracle he awoke of his own accord, when the coach stopped, and giving himself a good shake to stir up his faculties, went up stairs to execute his commission.

Now, whether the shake had jumbled the fat boy's faculties together instead of arranging them in proper order, or had roused such a quan- tity of new ideas within him as to render him oblivious of ordinary