preparations; such as the embellishment of the room with the little

flower-pots which always stood on the window-sill outside, save in

windy weather when they blew into the area; the choice attire of the

day-scholars who were allowed to grace the festival; the unwonted

curls of Miss Jane Wackles who had kept her head during the whole

of the preceding day screwed up tight in a yellow play-bill; and the

solemn gentility and stately bearing of the old lady and her eldest

daughter, which struck Mr Swiveller as being uncommon but made no

further impression upon him.

The truth is - and, as there is no accounting for tastes, even a taste so

strange as this may be recorded without being looked upon as a wilful

and malicious invention - the truth is that neither Mrs Wackles nor

her eldest daughter had at any time greatly favoured the pretensions

of Mr Swiveller, being accustomed to make slight mention of him as 'a

gay young man' and to sigh and shake their heads ominously

whenever his name was mentioned. Mr Swiveller's conduct in respect

to Miss Sophy having been of that vague and dilitory kind which is

usuaully looked upon as betokening no fixed matrimonial intentions,

the young lady herself began in course of time to deem it highly

desirable, that it should be brought to an issue one way or other.

Hence she had at last consented to play off against Richard Swiveller

a stricken market-gardner known to be ready with his offer on the

smallest encouragement, and hence - as this occasion had been

specially assigned for the purpose - that great anxiety on her part for

Richard Swiveller's presence which had occasioned her to leave the

note he has ben seen to receive. 'If he has any expectations at all or

any means of keeping a wife well,' said Mrs Wackles to her eldest

daughter, 'he'll state 'em to us now or never.' - 'If he really cares about

me,' thought Miss Sophy, 'he must tell me so, to-night.'

But all these sayings and doings and thinkings being unknown to Mr

Swiveller, affected him not in the least; he was debating in his mind

how he could best turn jealous, and wishing that Sophy were for that

occasion only far less pretty than she was, or that she were her own

sister, which would have served his turn as well, when the company

came, and among them the market-gardener, whose name was

Cheggs. But Mr Cheggs came not alone or unsupported, for he

prudently brought along with him his sister, Miss Cheggs, who

making straight to Miss Sophy and taking her by both hands, and

kissing her on both cheeks, hoped in an audible whisper that they

had not come too early.

Too early, no!' replied Miss Sophy.

Oh, my dear,' rejoined Miss Cheggs in the same whisper as before,

I've been so tormented, so worried, that it's a mercy we were not here

at four o'clock in the afternoon. Alick has been in such a state of

The Old Curiosity Shop