The Pickwick Papers


google search for The Pickwick Papers

Return to Master Book Index.

Page
126 127 128 129 130

Quick Jump
1 198 396 594 792

Ay - ay - very good,' said the little gentleman, 'you may ask that. How  
dare you, sir? - eh, sir?'  
'
Who the devil are you?' inquired Mr Jingle, in so fierce a tone, that  
the little gentleman involuntarily fell back a step or two.  
'
Who is he, you scoundrel,' interposed Wardle. 'He's my lawyer, Mr  
Perker, of Gray's Inn. Perker, I'll have this fellow prosecuted - indicted  
I'll - I'll - I'll ruin him. And you,' continued Mr Wardle, turning  
-
abruptly round to his sister - 'you, Rachael, at a time of life when you  
ought to know better, what do you mean by running away with a  
vagabond, disgracing your family, and making yourself miserable? Get  
on your bonnet and come back. Call a hackney-coach there, directly,  
and bring this lady's bill, d'ye hear - d'ye hear?' 'Cert'nly, Sir,' replied  
Sam, who had answered Wardle's violent ringing of the bell with a  
degree of celerity which must have appeared marvellous to anybody  
who didn't know that his eye had been applied to the outside of the  
keyhole during the whole interview.  
'
'
Get on your bonnet,' repeated Wardle.  
Do nothing of the kind,' said Jingle. 'Leave the room, Sir - no  
business here - lady's free to act as she pleases - more than one-and-  
twenty.'  
'
More than one-and-twenty!' ejaculated Wardle contemptuously. 'More  
than one-and-forty!'  
'
I ain't,' said the spinster aunt, her indignation getting the better of  
her determination to faint.  
'You are,' replied Wardle; 'you're fifty if you're an hour.'  
Here the spinster aunt uttered a loud shriek, and became senseless.  
'
A glass of water,' said the humane Mr Pickwick, summoning the  
landlady.  
'
A glass of water!' said the passionate Wardle. 'Bring a bucket, and  
throw it all over her; it'll do her good, and she richly deserves it.'  
'
Ugh, you brute!' ejaculated the kind-hearted landlady. 'Poor dear.'  
And with sundry ejaculations of 'Come now, there's a dear - drink a  
little of this - it'll do you good - don't give way so - there's a love,' etc.  
etc., the landlady, assisted by a chambermaid, proceeded to vinegar  
the forehead, beat the hands, titillate the nose, and unlace the stays  
of the spinster aunt, and to administer such other restoratives as are  


Page
126 127 128 129 130

Quick Jump
1 198 396 594 792