'I heard him call Mrs. Bardell a good creature, and I heard him ask

her to compose herself, for what a situation it was, if anybody should

come, or words to that effect.'

'Now, Mr Winkle, I have only one more question to ask you, and I beg

you to bear in mind his Lordship's caution. Will you undertake to

swear that Pickwick, the defendant, did not say on the occasion in

question - ’My dear Mrs. Bardell, you're a good creature; compose

yourself to this situation, for to this situation you must come,’ or

words to that effect?'

'I - I didn't understand him so, certainly,' said Mr Winkle, astounded

on this ingenious dove-tailing of the few words he had heard. 'I was on

the staircase, and couldn't hear distinctly; the impression on my mind

is - '

'The gentlemen of the jury want none of the impressions on your

mind, Mr Winkle, which I fear would be of little service to honest,

straightforward men,' interposed Mr Skimpin. 'You were on the

staircase, and didn't distinctly hear; but you will not swear that

Pickwick did not make use of the expressions I have quoted? Do I

understand that?'

No, I will not,' replied Mr Winkle; and down sat Mr Skimpin with a

triumphant countenance.

Mr Pickwick's case had not gone off in so particularly happy a

manner, up to this point, that it could very well afford to have any

additional suspicion cast upon it. But as it could afford to be placed in

a rather better light, if possible, Mr Phunky rose for the purpose of

getting something important out of Mr Winkle in cross-examination.

Whether he did get anything important out of him, will immediately

appear.

I believe, Mr Winkle,' said Mr Phunky, 'that Mr Pickwick is not a

young man?'

'Oh, no,' replied Mr Winkle; 'old enough to be my father.'

You have told my learned friend that you have known Mr Pickwick a

long time. Had you ever any reason to suppose or believe that he was

about to be married?'

'Oh, no; certainly not;' replied Mr Winkle with so much eagerness,

that Mr Phunky ought to have got him out of the box with all possible

dispatch. Lawyers hold that there are two kinds of particularly bad

witnesses - a reluctant witness, and a too-willing witness; it was Mr

Winkle's fate to figure in both characters.

The Pickwick Papers