Very good,' rejoined Mr Simmery, pulling out the gold pencil-case

again. 'I've no objection to take you that way. Say, makes away with

himself.'

Kills himself, in fact,' said Wilkins Flasher, Esquire.

Just so,' replied Mr Simmery, putting it down. '‘Flasher - ten guineas

to five, Boffer kills himself.’ Within what time shall we say?'

'A fortnight?' suggested Wilkins Flasher, Esquire.

'Con-found it, no,' rejoined Mr Simmery, stopping for an instant to

smash a fly with the ruler. 'Say a week.'

Split the difference,' said Wilkins Flasher, Esquire. 'Make it ten days.'

Well; ten days,'rejoined Mr Simmery.

So it was entered down on the little books that Boffer was to kill

himself within ten days, or Wilkins Flasher, Esquire, was to hand over

to Frank Simmery, Esquire, the sum of ten guineas; and that if Boffer

did kill himself within that time, Frank Simmery, Esquire, would pay

to Wilkins Flasher, Esquire, five guineas, instead.

'I'm very sorry he has failed,' said Wilkins Flasher, Esquire. 'Capital

dinners he gave.'

Fine port he had too,' remarked Mr Simmery. 'We are going to send

our butler to the sale to-morrow, to pick up some of that sixty-four.'

The devil you are!' said Wilkins Flasher, Esquire. 'My man's going too.

Five guineas my man outbids your man.'

Done.'

Another entry was made in the little books, with the gold pencil-cases;

and Mr Simmery, having by this time killed all the flies and taken all

the bets, strolled away to the Stock Exchange to see what was going

forward.

Wilkins Flasher, Esquire, now condescended to receive Mr Solomon

Pell's instructions, and having filled up some printed forms, requested

the party to follow him to the bank, which they did: Mr Weller and his

three friends staring at all they beheld in unbounded astonishment,

and Sam encountering everything with a coolness which nothing

could disturb.

The Pickwick Papers