Activate Javascript or update your browser for the full Digital Library experience.
Previous Page
–
Next Page
OCR
k
. . ‘OUR. IIIUTUALVFRIEND.
regular sieries:o,f:tur.n's.in the -yard, ‘.' if I can'mako it
comfortab1e'withIVegg,' my affairs will be going smooth.”
The .mau'of.low cunnin -had, of course, ‘acquired a
mastery ovcrthe maniof igh simplicity. The‘ mean
man had, of course,‘ got the better of the generous man.’
How lougsuch‘ conquests last, is’: another ‘matter ; that
they areachieved, is every-dayicxperionce, not even to
belflourishod: away: by Podsnapperyitself; .‘The unde- -
si ing-Boflin had become so far immeshed by the wily
I egg. that his miudmisgave him he was avery design:
ing man indeed in purposing to do "more for W'e'gg. . It
seemedtohiin (so skilfuliwas VVcgg) that'he was lot-
ting darkly, when.he was contriving to do the ve t ing
that uIVegg was plotting to get him to do. An’ thus,
while he was mentally turning the kindest of kind faces
on VVegg this morning, he was not absolutely sure but
that he might somchow‘deservc.tho charge of turning
his back on'him.V ' x . ‘ = v .
‘For these reasons Mr. Boilin passed but anxious hours
until evening came, and with it Mr. Wegg, stumping
leisurely-'to"the ‘Roman Empire.‘ At about this period
Mr. Boflin had become profoundl interested in the for-
tunes of 'a great military ‘leader ' own to him as -Bully
Sawyers, but perhaps better known to fame and easier
of identification by the classical studemxunder the less
Britannic name of Belisarius. ‘Even this general’s career
paled in interest for Mr. Botlin‘ before the clearin of his
conscience with Wegg ;rand‘henc'e, when that literary
gentleman had according to custom eaten and drunk un-
til he wasall a-glow, and when he took up his book with
thousualr chirping introduction, “ And now, Mr. Boilin.
sir, we’ll decline and we’ll fall I’’ Mr. Bollin stopped him.
:“You remember, Wcgg, when I first told you that I
wanted to make a sort of offer to you ‘I ”
- “ Let me get on my considering cap, sir,” replied that
gentleman, turning the “open book‘ faco downward.
“ VVhen you first told me that you wanted to make a
sort of offer to me? Now let me think” (as if rtherc
were the least necessity). “Yes, to be sure I do, Mr.
Bofiin. It was at mycomer. 'To be sure it’ was it You
had Iirstta'sked'me whether I liked ‘your name and Can-
dour had compelled a reply in the negative case. I little
tholpght then,‘slr,'how.fam1llar that name would come
to e l ’ :
“ I hope it will be more familiar still, Vvcgg.”
“ Do you, Mr. Boflin? Muchobliged toyou, I’m sure.
Is it your pleasure, sir, that we decline and we fall‘? ”
with'a. feint of taking up tliohookl ' '
>“ N ot‘ just yet awhile,’ -VVegg. In fact, I have got
another oder to make you.”
:llIr.=Wegg (who had had nothing else in his mind for
several nights) took off his spectacles with an air of bland
surprise. ' ,
‘.“And I hope you’ll' like it,‘ Vvegg.”
“ Thank you, sir,” returned that reticent individual,
“I hope it may prove so. On all accounts, I am sure.”
(This, as a philanthropic aspiration.)
“ What do you think,” said Mr. Boflin, " of not keep-
ing a stall, VVcgg ? "
“I think, sir,” replied VVegg, “that I should like to
be shown the gentleman prepared to make it worth my
while l" >
“Here he is,” said Mr. Boiiin. -
Mr. -VVegg was going to‘ say, My Benefactor, and had
iald My Bene, when a grandiloquent change came over
1m. .
f‘ N o,’ Mr. Boflin, not you, sir. Anybody but you.
Do‘ not fear, Mr. Boilin, that I shall contaminate the pre-
mises which your gold has bought, with my lowly pur-
suits. ;'I am aware, sir, that it would not become me to
carry on my little trafiic under the windows of your mph-
sion. I. have already thought of that, and taken my
measures. No need to be bought out, sir. VVould Step-
ney Fields be considered intrusive? If not remote
enough, I can go remotcr.’ In the words of the poet's
song, which I do not quite remember:
, ,- Thrown on the wide world. doom'd to wander and roam, .
A . Bcreft of my parents bereft of 1!. home, , V
' " ‘A‘ stranwer to somethln and whnt’s his name joy,
Behold little Edmp1nd t ‘e poor Peasant boy. I ‘
, ,
Hind‘ said lllr. Wegg, repairing the want of
400
direct application in the ‘last line; ".bel1old’ myself on. a r
similar footing?" . . ..; ; V, ,
‘ u''N0W.‘ “fegg, .lVegg, VVegg,i? remonstrated :tho.ex-
cellentilloilin. --.‘.‘ You are too sensitive.” ‘ .. ‘av 3 ,
- “,1 know I am, sir,’.’.= returned Wegg,.with obstinate
magnanimity. “I amuxcquainteduwith my faults. I
always 9was,- from a child, too sensitivc.’.', ‘-- .; ,. . .:>v-.-: ‘
“But listen,” pursued-therGoldcn Dustman; ‘Fhear.
me'out, Vvegglr Youhavo taken it into your head that
Imean to pension you off.” . .. i 3. .- .- , .
55TFu9,‘%ir,’3 returned W'egg,fstil1;with'an obstinate
magnanimity. 1 “ Ixamacquainted with my faults.-I Far
:e‘1(f1t’fron1 me to. deny thcm.w .I..]1az:e ,m];en it 'mto<my
en ,?: .x. ..1. .1 - r , 3 :-
“ButIdon’t mean it.’.’ v :. '1 (xi . .., 2.1!
The assurance seemed hardly as comforting to.Mr:
VVegg, as Mr. Boflin intc-nded’it.to"be.‘ Indeed, an appre-
ciable elongation of his ‘visage might have been observed
ashereplied: ‘ ...i , ; g; , ‘
“Don’t you indeed, sir?” . . -I . .: . .
“ No,”pursued Mr. Boflin ; “because that would ex.‘
press, as understand it, that you were not going to do
anything to deserve your money." But you are; ;you
are.” ‘ u '- 1,‘:
“That, sir,” .replied‘Mr. Weg , cheering up bravely,
“is quite another pair of shoes. -gNow, my independence
as a man is again elevated. Now, I no longer . . i
ii’
Weep for the hour, .
IVhen to Boilinses bower,
The Lord of the valley with offers came;
Neither does the Moon hide her light "
From the heavens to-night, . -
And weep behind her clouds o'er any individual in the present .
Company's shame. I j
--Please to proceed, Mr. Bofiin.” ., .
“ Thank’ee, VVegg, both for your confidence in me and
for your frequent dropping into the poetry; both of which
is friendly. “’ell, then ; my idea is, that you should
give up your stall, and that I should put you into the
Bower here, to keep it for us. It’s a pleasant spot ; and
a man with coals and candlos and a pound a week might
be in clover here.” -
“ Hem l ‘Vould that man, sir-we will say that man,
for the purposes of argueyment ;” Mr. IVegg made a
smiling demonstration of great perspicuity here ;, “ would
thatvman, sir, be. expected to throwwany other capacity
in, or would any other capacity be"considered extra?
Now let us (for the purposes of argueyment) suppose
that man to be engaged as a reader : say (for the pur-
poses of argueymeut) in the eveniug.; VVould that man’s
pay as a reader in the evening, he added to the other
amount, which, adopting your language, we will call
clover’; or would it emerge into that amount, or clover ‘2 "
“ VVell,” said Mr. Boilin, “ I suppose it .would be
added.” ,
“ I suppose it would, sir. You are ri ht, sir. Exact-
ly my own views, Mr. Bollin.” Here V egg arose, and
balancin himself on his wooden leg, fluttered over his
rey with extended hand. “ Mr. Botfin, consider it done.
ay no more, sir, not a word more. My stall and I are
forever parted. ‘The collection of ballads will in future
be reserved for private study, with the ob'ect‘of making
poetry tributary”-'iVegg was so proud 0 having found
this word, that 1173 said it again, with a capital etter-
“ Tributary, to friendship. Mr. Boilin, don’t allow your-
self to be made uncomfortable by the pang it gives me to
part from my stock and stall. Similiar emotion was un-
dergone by my own father, when promoted for his mer-
its from his occupation as a Waterman to a situation
under Government. His Christian name was Thomas.
His words at the time (I was then an infant, but so deep
was their impression on me, that I committed them to
memory) were:
r.
ll tri -built he
Tl(])ed1rsf hrrsdvgoaltllaynd hriid e faxxvcrlllh
Never more at Chelsea erry,
Shall your Thomas take a spell!
..My father got over it, Mr. Boilin, and so shall I.” V
VVhile delivering these vuledictory observations, W egg
continually disappointed Mr. Boflin of his hand by hour-