than before, dancing, to all appearance, up and down the lane,

crossing from side to side, and moving in an orbit as eccentric as

comets themselves.

The scientific gentleman was a bachelor. He had no wife to call in and

astonish, so he rang the bell for his servant.

Pruffle,' said the scientific gentleman, 'there is something very

extraordinary in the air to-night? Did you see that?' said the scientific

gentleman, pointing out of the window, as the light again became

visible.

Yes, I did, Sir.'

What do you think of it, Pruffle?'

Think of it, Sir?'

Yes. You have been bred up in this country. What should you say was

the cause for those lights, now?'

The scientific gentleman smilingly anticipated Pruffle's reply that he

could assign no cause for them at all. Pruffle meditated.

I should say it was thieves, Sir,' said Pruffle at length.

You're a fool, and may go downstairs,' said the scientific gentleman.

Thank you, Sir,' said Pruffle. And down he went. But the scientific

gentleman could not rest under the idea of the ingenious treatise he

had projected being lost to the world, which must inevitably be the

case if the speculation of the ingenious Mr Pruffle were not stifled in

its birth. He put on his hat and walked quickly down the garden,

determined to investigate the matter to the very bottom.

Now, shortly before the scientific gentleman walked out into the

garden, Mr Pickwick had run down the lane as fast as he could, to

convey a false alarm that somebody was coming that way;

occasionally drawing back the slide of the dark lantern to keep himself

from the ditch. The alarm was no sooner given, than Mr Winkle

scrambled back over the wall, and Arabella ran into the house; the

garden gate was shut, and the three adventurers were making the

best of their way down the lane, when they were startled by the

scientific gentleman unlocking his garden gate.

Hold hard,' whispered Sam, who was, of course, the first of the party.

Show a light for just vun second, Sir.'

The Pickwick Papers