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jacket with a double row of gilt buttons, which he had originally
ordered for aquatic expeditions, but had brought with him that
morning for office purposes; and, still keeping his eye upon her,
suffered himself to drop down silently upon Mr Brass's stool. Then he
underwent a relapse, and becoming powerless again, rested his chin
upon his hand, and opened his eyes so wide, that it appeared quite
out of the question that he could ever close them any more.
When he had looked so long that he could see nothing, Dick took his
eyes off the fair object of his amazement, turned over the leaves of the
draft he was to copy, dipped his pen into the inkstand, and at last,
and by slow approaches, began to write. But he had not written half-
a-dozen words when, reaching over to the inkstand to take a fresh dip,
he happened to raise his eyes. There was the intolerable brown head-
dress - there was the green gown - there, in short, was Miss Sally
Brass, arrayed in all her charms, and more tremendous than ever.
This happened so often, that Mr Swiveller by degrees began to feel
strange influences creeping over him - horrible desires to annihilate
this Sally Brass - mysterious promptings to knock her head-dress off
and try how she looked without it. There was a very large ruler on the
table; a large, black, shining ruler. Mr Swiveller took it up and began
to rub his nose with it.
From rubbing his nose with the ruler, to poising it in his hand and
giving it an occasional flourish after the tomahawk manner, the
transition was easy and natural. In some of these flourishes it went
close to Miss Sally's head; the ragged edges of the head- dress
fluttered with the wind it raised; advance it but an inch, and that
great brown knot was on the ground: yet still the unconscious maiden
worked away, and never raised her eyes.
Well, this was a great relief. It was a good thing to write doggedly and
obstinately until he was desperate, and then snatch up the ruler and
whirl it about the brown head-dress with the consciousness that he
could have it off if he liked. It was a good thing to draw it back, and
rub his nose very hard with it, if he thought Miss Sally was going to
look up, and to recompense himself with more hardy flourishes when
he found she was still absorbed. By these means Mr Swiveller calmed
the agitation of his feelings, until his applications to the ruler became
less fierce and frequent, and he could even write as many as half-a-
dozen consecutive lines without having recourse to it - which was a
great victory.
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