Page:Works of Charles Dickens, ed. Lang - Volume 2.djvu/282



felt a great deal too much touched by the warmth of Sam's attachment, to be able to exhibit any manifestation of anger or displeasure at the precipitate course he had adopted, in voluntarily consigning himself to a debtors 1 prison, for an indefinite period. The only point on which he persevered in demanding any explanation, was, the name of Sam's detaining creditor ; but this Mr. Weller as perseveringly withheld.

"It ain't o' no use, sir," said Sam, again and again. "He's a ma-licious, bad-disposed, vorldly-minded, spiteful, windictive creetur, with a hard heart as there ain't no soft'nin'. As the wirtuous clergyman remarked of the old gen'l'm'n with the dropsy, ven he said, that upon the whole he thought he'd rayther leave his property to his vife than build a chapel vith it."

"But consider, Sam," Mr. Pickwick remonstrated, "the sum is so small that it can very easily be paid ; and having made up my mind that you shall stop with me, you should recollect how much more useful you would be, if you could go outside the walls."