From the centre of the ceiling of this kitchen, old Wardle had just

suspended, with his own hands, a huge branch of mistletoe, and this

same branch of mistletoe instantaneously gave rise to a scene of

general and most delightful struggling and confusion; in the midst of

which, Mr Pickwick, with a gallantry that would have done honour to

a descendant of Lady Tollimglower herself, took the old lady by the

hand, led her beneath the mystic branch, and saluted her in all

courtesy and decorum. The old lady submitted to this piece of

practical politeness with all the dignity which befitted so important

and serious a solemnity, but the younger ladies, not being so

thoroughly imbued with a superstitious veneration for the custom, or

imagining that the value of a salute is very much enhanced if it cost a

little trouble to obtain it, screamed and struggled, and ran into

corners, and threatened and remonstrated, and did everything but

leave the room, until some of the less adventurous gentlemen were on

the point of desisting, when they all at once found it useless to resist

any longer, and submitted to be kissed with a good grace. Mr Winkle

kissed the young lady with the black eyes, and Mr Snodgrass kissed

Emily; and Mr Weller, not being particular about the form of being

under the mistletoe, kissed Emma and the other female servants, just

as he caught them. As to the poor relations, they kissed everybody,

not even excepting the plainer portions of the young lady visitors,

who, in their excessive confusion, ran right under the mistletoe, as

soon as it was hung up, without knowing it! Wardle stood with his

back to the fire, surveying the whole scene, with the utmost

satisfaction; and the fat boy took the opportunity of appropriating to

his own use, and summarily devouring, a particularly fine mince-pie,

that had been carefully put by, for somebody else.

Now, the screaming had subsided, and faces were in a glow, and curls

in a tangle, and Mr Pickwick, after kissing the old lady as before

mentioned, was standing under the mistletoe, looking with a very

pleased countenance on all that was passing around him, when the

young lady with the black eyes, after a little whispering with the other

young ladies, made a sudden dart forward, and, putting her arm

round Mr Pickwick's neck, saluted him affectionately on the left

cheek; and before Mr Pickwick distinctly knew what was the matter,

he was surrounded by the whole body, and kissed by every one of

them.

It was a pleasant thing to see Mr Pickwick in the centre of the group,

now pulled this way, and then that, and first kissed on the chin, and

then on the nose, and then on the spectacles, and to hear the peals of

laughter which were raised on every side; but it was a still more

pleasant thing to see Mr Pickwick, blinded shortly afterwards with a

silk handkerchief, falling up against the wall, and scrambling into

corners, and going through all the mysteries of blind-man's buff, with

the utmost relish for the game, until at last he caught one of the poor

The Pickwick Papers