Of course,' replied Mr Pickwick, who had by this time advanced, horse

in hand, to the garden rails.

'Missus' - roared the man with the red head, emerging from the

garden, and looking very hard at the horse - 'missus!'

A tall, bony woman - straight all the way down - in a coarse, blue

pelisse, with the waist an inch or two below her arm-pits, responded

to the call.

Can we put this horse up here, my good woman?' said Mr Tupman,

advancing, and speaking in his most seductive tones. The woman

looked very hard at the whole party; and the red- headed man

whispered something in her ear.

No,' replied the woman, after a little consideration, 'I'm afeerd on it.'

Afraid!' exclaimed Mr Pickwick, 'what's the woman afraid of ?'

It got us in trouble last time,' said the woman, turning into the house;

I woan't have nothin' to say to 'un.'

Most extraordinary thing I have ever met with in my life,' said the

astonished Mr Pickwick.

I - I - really believe,' whispered Mr Winkle, as his friends gathered

round him, 'that they think we have come by this horse in some

dishonest manner.'

What!' exclaimed Mr Pickwick, in a storm of indignation. Mr Winkle

modestly repeated his suggestion.

'Hollo, you fellow,' said the angry Mr Pickwick,'do you think we stole

the horse?'

I'm sure ye did,' replied the red-headed man, with a grin which

agitated his countenance from one auricular organ to the other.

Saying which he turned into the house and banged the door after him.

'It's like a dream,' ejaculated Mr Pickwick, 'a hideous dream. The idea

of a man's walking about all day with a dreadful horse that he can't

get rid of!' The depressed Pickwickians turned moodily away, with the

tall quadruped, for which they all felt the most unmitigated disgust,

following slowly at their heels.

It was late in the afternoon when the four friends and their four-footed

companion turned into the lane leading to Manor Farm; and even

when they were so near their place of destination, the pleasure they

The Pickwick Papers