Yes, Sir,' resumed Pott, 'it is.' Here, bending towards Mr Pickwick, he

whispered in a deep, hollow voice, 'A Buff ball, Sir, will take place in

Birmingham to-morrow evening.'

God bless me!' exclaimed Mr Pickwick.

Yes, Sir, and supper,' added Pott.

You don't say so!' ejaculated Mr Pickwick.

Pott nodded portentously.

Now, although Mr Pickwick feigned to stand aghast at this disclosure,

he was so little versed in local politics that he was unable to form an

adequate comprehension of the importance of the dire conspiracy it

referred to; observing which, Mr Pott, drawing forth the last number of

the Eatanswill GAZETTE, and referring to the same, delivered himself

of the following paragraph: -

HOLE-AND-CORNER BUFFERY.

'A reptile contemporary has recently sweltered forth his black venom

in the vain and hopeless attempt of sullying the fair name of our

distinguished and excellent representative, the Honourable Mr

Slumkey - that Slumkey whom we, long before he gained his present

noble and exalted position, predicted would one day be, as he now is,

at once his country's brightest honour, and her proudest boast: alike

her bold defender and her honest pride - our reptile contemporary, we

say, has made himself merry, at the expense of a superbly embossed

plated coal-scuttle, which has been presented to that glorious man by

his enraptured constituents, and towards the purchase of which, the

nameless wretch insinuates, the Honourable Mr Slumkey himself

contributed, through a confidential friend of his butler's, more than

three-fourths of the whole sum subscribed. Why, does not the

crawling creature see, that even if this be the fact, the Honourable Mr

Slumkey only appears in a still more amiable and radiant light than

before, if that be possible? Does not even his obtuseness perceive that

this amiable and touching desire to carry out the wishes of the

constituent body, must for ever endear him to the hearts and souls of

such of his fellow townsmen as are not worse than swine; or, in other

words, who are not as debased as our contemporary himself? But

such is the wretched trickery of hole-and-corner Buffery! These are

not its only artifices. Treason is abroad. We boldly state, now that we

are goaded to the disclosure, and we throw ourselves on the country

and its constables for protection - we boldly state that secret

preparations are at this moment in progress for a Buff ball; which is

to be held in a Buff town, in the very heart and centre of a Buff

population; which is to be conducted by a Buff master of the

The Pickwick Papers