Probate, my dear Sir, probate,' said Pell. 'Well, sir,' replied Mr Weller

sharply, 'probe and probe it, is wery much the same; if you don't

understand wot I mean, sir, I des-say I can find them as does.'

No offence, I hope, Mr Weller,' said Pell meekly. 'You are the executor,

I see,' he added, casting his eyes over the paper.

'I am, sir,' replied Mr Weller.

These other gentlemen, I presume, are legatees, are they?' inquired

Pell, with a congratulatory smile.

'Sammy is a leg-at-ease,' replied Mr Weller; 'these other gen'l'm'n is

friends o' mine, just come to see fair; a kind of umpires.'

'Oh!' said Pell, 'very good. I have no objections, I'm sure. I shall want a

matter of five pound of you before I begin, ha! ha! ha!'

It being decided by the committee that the five pound might be

advanced, Mr Weller produced that sum; after which, a long

consultation about nothing particular took place, in the course

whereof Mr Pell demonstrated to the perfect satisfaction of the

gentlemen who saw fair, that unless the management of the business

had been intrusted to him, it must all have gone wrong, for reasons

not clearly made out, but no doubt sufficient. This important point

being despatched, Mr Pell refreshed himself with three chops, and

liquids both malt and spirituous, at the expense of the estate; and

then they all went away to Doctors' Commons.

The next day there was another visit to Doctors' Commons, and a

great to-do with an attesting hostler, who, being inebriated, declined

swearing anything but profane oaths, to the great scandal of a proctor

and surrogate. Next week, there were more visits to Doctors'

Commons, and there was a visit to the Legacy Duty Office besides,

and there were treaties entered into, for the disposal of the lease and

business, and ratifications of the same, and inventories to be made

out, and lunches to be taken, and dinners to be eaten, and so many

profitable things to be done, and such a mass of papers accumulated

that Mr Solomon Pell, and the boy, and the blue bag to boot, all got so

stout that scarcely anybody would have known them for the same

man, boy, and bag, that had loitered about Portugal Street, a few days

before.

At length all these weighty matters being arranged, a day was fixed for

selling out and transferring the stock, and of waiting with that view

upon Wilkins Flasher, Esquire, stock-broker, of somewhere near the

bank, who had been recommended by Mr Solomon Pell for the

purpose.

The Pickwick Papers