| 518 | 519 | 520 | 521 | 522 |
| 1 | 198 | 396 | 594 | 792 |
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the honours, if his friends had been drinking wine; but as they were
taking spirits by way of a change, and as it might be inconvenient to
empty a tumbler at every toast, he should propose that the honours
be understood.
At the conclusion of this speech, everybody took a sip in honour of
Sam; and Sam having ladled out, and drunk, two full glasses of punch
in honour of himself, returned thanks in a neat speech.
'
Wery much obliged to you, old fellers,' said Sam, ladling away at the
punch in the most unembarrassed manner possible, 'for this here
compliment; which, comin' from sich a quarter, is wery overvelmin'.
I've heered a good deal on you as a body, but I will say, that I never
thought you was sich uncommon nice men as I find you air. I only
hope you'll take care o' yourselves, and not compromise nothin' o'
your dignity, which is a wery charmin' thing to see, when one's out a-
walkin', and has always made me wery happy to look at, ever since I
was a boy about half as high as the brass-headed stick o' my wery
respectable friend, Blazes, there. As to the wictim of oppression in the
suit o' brimstone, all I can say of him, is, that I hope he'll get jist as
good a berth as he deserves; in vitch case it's wery little cold swarry as
ever he'll be troubled with agin.'
Here Sam sat down with a pleasant smile, and his speech having been
vociferously applauded, the company broke up.
'
Wy, you don't mean to say you're a-goin' old feller?' said Sam Weller
to his friend, Mr John Smauker.
'I must, indeed,' said Mr Smauker; 'I promised Bantam.'
'Oh, wery well,' said Sam; 'that's another thing. P'raps he'd resign if
you disappinted him. You ain't a-goin', Blazes?'
'Yes, I am,' said the man with the cocked hat.
'Wot, and leave three-quarters of a bowl of punch behind you!' said
Sam; 'nonsense, set down agin.'
Mr Tuckle was not proof against this invitation. He laid aside the
cocked hat and stick which he had just taken up, and said he would
have one glass, for good fellowship's sake.
As the gentleman in blue went home the same way as Mr Tuckle, he
was prevailed upon to stop too. When the punch was about half gone,
Sam ordered in some oysters from the green- grocer's shop; and the
effect of both was so extremely exhilarating, that Mr Tuckle, dressed
out with the cocked hat and stick, danced the frog hornpipe among
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