Now,' said Jack Hopkins, 'just to set us going again, Bob, I don't mind

singing a song.' And Hopkins, incited thereto by tumultuous

applause, plunged himself at once into 'The King, God bless him,'

which he sang as loud as he could, to a novel air, compounded of the

Bay of Biscay,' and 'A Frog he would.' The chorus was the essence of

the song; and, as each gentleman sang it to the tune he knew best,

the effect was very striking indeed.

It was at the end of the chorus to the first verse, that Mr Pickwick held

up his hand in a listening attitude, and said, as soon as silence was

restored -

'Hush! I beg your pardon. I thought I heard somebody calling from

upstairs.'

A profound silence immediately ensued; and Mr Bob Sawyer was

observed to turn pale.

I think I hear it now,' said Mr Pickwick. 'Have the goodness to open

the door.'

The door was no sooner opened than all doubt on the subject was

removed.

Mr Sawyer! Mr Sawyer!' screamed a voice from the two-pair landing.

It's my landlady,' said Bob Sawyer, looking round him with great

dismay. 'Yes, Mrs. Raddle.'

What do you mean by this, Mr Sawyer?' replied the voice, with great

shrillness and rapidity of utterance. 'Ain't it enough to be swindled out

of one's rent, and money lent out of pocket besides, and abused and

insulted by your friends that dares to call themselves men, without

having the house turned out of the window, and noise enough made

to bring the fire-engines here, at two o'clock in the morning? - Turn

them wretches away.'

'You ought to be ashamed of yourselves,' said the voice of Mr Raddle,

which appeared to proceed from beneath some distant bed-clothes.

'Ashamed of themselves!' said Mrs. Raddle. 'Why don't you go down

and knock 'em every one downstairs? You would if you was a man.' 'I

should if I was a dozen men, my dear,' replied Mr Raddle pacifically,

'but they have the advantage of me in numbers, my dear.'

Ugh, you coward!' replied Mrs. Raddle, with supreme contempt. 'DO

you mean to turn them wretches out, or not, Mr Sawyer?'

The Pickwick Papers