Having thus entered his protest against their treatment of the

morning, Mr Pickwick bowed low to the ladies, and notwithstanding

the solicitations of the family, left the room with his friends.

'Get your hat, Sam,' said Mr Pickwick.

'It's below stairs, Sir,' said Sam, and he ran down after it.

Now, there was nobody in the kitchen, but the pretty housemaid; and

as Sam's hat was mislaid, he had to look for it, and the pretty

housemaid lighted him. They had to look all over the place for the hat.

The pretty housemaid, in her anxiety to find it, went down on her

knees, and turned over all the things that were heaped together in a

little corner by the door. It was an awkward corner. You couldn't get

at it without shutting the door first.

Here it is,' said the pretty housemaid. 'This is it, ain't it?'

Let me look,' said Sam.

The pretty housemaid had stood the candle on the floor; and, as it

gave a very dim light, Sam was obliged to go down on HIS knees

before he could see whether it really was his own hat or not. it was a

remarkably small corner, and so - it was nobody's fault but the man's

who built the house - Sam and the pretty housemaid were necessarily

very close together.

Yes, this is it,' said Sam. 'Good-bye!'

Good-bye!' said the pretty housemaid.

Good-bye!' said Sam; and as he said it, he dropped the hat that had

cost so much trouble in looking for.

'How awkward you are,' said the pretty housemaid. 'You'll lose it

again, if you don't take care.'

So just to prevent his losing it again, she put it on for him.

Whether it was that the pretty housemaid's face looked prettier still,

when it was raised towards Sam's, or whether it was the accidental

consequence of their being so near to each other, is matter of

uncertainty to this day; but Sam kissed her.

'You don't mean to say you did that on purpose,' said the pretty

housemaid, blushing.

'No, I didn't then,' said Sam; 'but I will now.'

The Pickwick Papers