Page:The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club.djvu/693

585 THE PICKWICK CLUB. 585

CHAPTER LIV.

MR. SOLOMON PELL, ASSISTED BY A SELECT COMMITTEE OF COACHMEN, ARRANGES THE AFFAIRS OF THE ELDER MR. WELLER.

" Samivel," said Mr. Weller, accosting his son on the morning after the funeral, " I've found it, Sammy. I thought it vos there."

" Thought wot wos vere ? '' enquired Sam.

" Your mother-in-law's vill, Sammy," replied Mr. Weller. '< In wirtue o' vich, them arrangements is to be made as I told you on last night respectin the funs."

" Wot, didn't she tell you vere it wos .'*" enquired Sam.

"Not a bit on it, Sammy," replied Mr. Weller. " Ve vos a adjest- in* our little differences, and I vos a cheerin' her spirits and bearin' her up, so that I forgot to ask anythin' about it. I don't know as I should ha' done it indeed, if I had remembered it," added Mr. Weller, " for it's a rum sort o' thing, Sammy, to go a hankerin' arter anybody's pro- perty, ven you're assistin* 'em in illness. It's like helping an outside passenger up ven he's been pitched off a coach, and puttin' your hand in his pocket, vile you ask him vith a sigh how he finds his-self, Sammy."

With this figurative illustration of his meaning, Mr. Weller un- clasped his pocket-book, and drew forth a dirty sheet of letter paper, on which were inscribed various characters crowded together in re- markable confusion.

" This here is the dockyment, Sammy," said Mr. Weller. " I found it in the little black teapot on the top shelf o' the bar closet. She used to keep bank notes there 'afore she vos married, Samivel. I've seen her take the lid off to pay a bill, many and many a time. Poor creetur, she might ha' filled all the teapots in the house vith vills, and not have inconwenienced herself neither, for she took wery little of anythin* in that vay lately, 'cept on the Temperance nights, ven they just laid a foundation o' tea to put the spirits a-top on."

" What does it say ? " enquired Sam.

'^ Jist vot I told you, my boy," rejoined his parent. *^Two Imndred pounds vurth o' reduced counsels to my son-in-law, Samivel, and all the rest o' my property of ev'ry kind and description votsoever to my husband, Mr. Tony Veller, who I appint as my sole eggzekiter."

'* That's all, is it ? " said Sam.

" That's all," replied Mr. Weller. " And I s'pose as it's all right and satisfactory to you and me, as is the only parties interested, ve may as veil put this bit o' paper into the fire."