I am afeerd that werges on the poetical, Sammy,' said Mr Weller

dubiously.

No, it don't,' replied Sam, reading on very quickly, to avoid contesting

the point -

‘Except of me Mary my dear as your walentine and think over what

I've said. - My dear Mary I will now conclude.’ That's all,' said Sam.

That's rather a Sudden pull-up, ain't it, Sammy?' inquired Mr Weller.

Not a bit on it,' said Sam; 'she'll vish there wos more, and that's the

great art o' letter-writin'.'

Well,' said Mr Weller, 'there's somethin' in that; and I wish your

mother-in-law 'ud only conduct her conwersation on the same gen-teel

principle. Ain't you a-goin' to sign it?'

'That's the difficulty,' said Sam; 'I don't know what to sign it.'

'Sign it - ’Veller’,' said the oldest surviving proprietor of that name.

'Won't do,' said Sam. 'Never sign a walentine with your own name.'

'Sign it ‘Pickwick,’ then,' said Mr Weller; 'it's a wery good name, and a

easy one to spell.' 'The wery thing,' said Sam. 'I COULD end with a

werse; what do you think?'

I don't like it, Sam,' rejoined Mr Weller. 'I never know'd a respectable

coachman as wrote poetry, 'cept one, as made an affectin' copy o'

werses the night afore he was hung for a highway robbery; and he wos

only a Cambervell man, so even that's no rule.'

But Sam was not to be dissuaded from the poetical idea that had

occurred to him, so he signed the letter - 'Your love-sick Pickwick.'

And having folded it, in a very intricate manner, squeezed a downhill

direction in one corner: 'To Mary, Housemaid, at Mr Nupkins's,

Mayor's, Ipswich, Suffolk'; and put it into his pocket, wafered, and

ready for the general post. This important business having been

transacted, Mr Weller the elder proceeded to open that, on which he

had summoned his son.

The first matter relates to your governor, Sammy,' said Mr Weller.

He's a-goin' to be tried to-morrow, ain't he?'

The trial's a-comin' on,' replied Sam.

The Pickwick Papers