What's the matter?' said the dwarf, stopping his hand in the act of

carrying the saucepan to his mouth.

You have forgotten the water, sir,' said Brass. 'And - excuse me, sir -

but it's burning hot.'

Deigning no other than a practical answer to this remonstrance, Mr

Quilp raised the hot saucepan to his lips, and deliberately drank off

all the spirit it contained, which might have been in quantity about

half a pint, and had been but a moment before, when he took it off the

fire, bubbling and hissing fiercely. Having swallowed this gentle

stimulant, and shaken his fist at the admiral, he bade Mr Brass

proceed.

But first,' said Quilp, with his accustomed grin, 'have a drop yourself

a nice drop - a good, warm, fiery drop.'

Why, sir,' replied Brass, 'if there was such a thing as a mouthful of

water that could be got without trouble - '

There's no such thing to be had here,' cried the dwarf. 'Water for

lawyers! Melted lead and brimstone, you mean, nice hot blistering

pitch and tar - that's the thing for them - eh, Brass, eh?'

Ha ha ha!' laughed Mr Brass. 'Oh very biting! and yet it's like being

tickled - there's a pleasure in it too, sir!'

Drink that,' said the dwarf, who had by this time heated some more.

Toss it off, don't leave any heeltap, scorch your throat and be happy!'

The wretched Sampson took a few short sips of the liquor, which

immediately distilled itself into burning tears, and in that form came

rolling down his cheeks into the pipkin again, turning the colour of his

face and eyelids to a deep red, and giving rise to a violent fit of

coughing, in the midst of which he was still heard to declare, with the

constancy of a martyr, that it was 'beautiful indeed!' While he was yet

in unspeakable agonies, the dwarf renewed their conversation.

The lodger,' said Quilp, ' - what about him?' 'He is still, sir,' returned

Brass, with intervals of coughing, 'stopping with the Garland family.

He has only been home once, Sir, since the day of the examination of

that culprit. He informed Mr Richard, sir, that he couldn't bear the

house after what had taken place; that he was wretched in it; and that

he looked upon himself as being in a certain kind of way the cause of

the occurrence. - A very excellent lodger Sir. I hope we may not lose

him.'

The Old Curiosity Shop