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, jolly i there was noicredlt at all to be got in anyof ’em.
3 V 1lIAI3TINr'A0HUZZLElVIJ1 M
,Mr. Pinch took from his pocket an old-fashioned red-
leather. purse. with a ‘steel-clasp, which. had probably
once belonged to liisideceased grandmother.‘ It heldpne
half-sovereignland no more. , All Tom’s worldly “fealth
until next quarter-day. ,'V’.‘ ‘I "" g "' ,‘ U” ‘ f,”
f‘,Stay‘i,”.eried'Mr. Tigg,v.'ho'had watched this pro--
cceding keenly; ‘ “ I was just about to’ say, that ‘for‘th'e'
convenience of posting you lhadfbetter, ma ie. it’ gold.
Thank you. “A general,‘ direction, I- suppose)‘, to L. Mr.‘
Pinch, at Mr. PecksniiI’s4will that find you?”- "'3'
‘ ." That’ll find me,” said, Tom. ’ ' “ Youflrad better’ put
Esquire to Mr. Pecksnitfs ‘name, if ‘ yougiplezipse. ‘Direct’
to me youhnow, at Seth Pccksniffs,‘ Esquire,” "
7“ At Seth’ Pecksniff’s,’ ‘Es uire,f’ repeated Mr; Tig ,,
taking an exact noteof it;'wit astuinp of pencil.’ “‘ , e‘
saidithis week;iI believe?” ‘ V ' H ‘ ' ‘ . i
' “Yes :i or Monday will do,” observed Torn.“ , ‘r 1
.“.5No' no, I, beg‘ your 'pardon.f Monday, will not do,”
said Mr. Tigg. ,“ If we stipulated for this,week; Satur-
day is‘-the latest day. Did we stipulate for this week ‘2 "
' ‘t Since you are so particular about it,’’,‘ said Torn, ,“'I
thinkwedid.”' , ' V ’, ', 1 V,
Mr.'Tigg added‘ thisvcondition -to his memorandum;
readthe entry over to himself withta severe frown ; and
that the transaction might be the’more correct and busi-
ness-like appended his initials to the whole. That done,
he assured Mr; Pinchthat everything was now perfectly
regular; and,‘after ‘squeezing his hand with great fer-'
vour, departed. ‘ I " ‘ " H ' ’ ‘ i a"
-Tom entertained ‘enough suspicion‘ that Martin might
possibly turnthis interview into a jest, to render ‘him
desirous to avoid thecompany of that young gentleman
for the present. .,XVith this view he took a few turns up
and down‘the skittleground, and'did not re-enter the
house until Mr. Tigg and his friend had quitted it,’ and
the new pupil and Mark were watching their departure
fromone of the windows. ' p ‘ I H . .
" I was’jnst a saying. sir, that if onecould live by it,”
observed Marlgpointing after their late guests, “that
would be the sort of service for me. Waiting’ onsnch
individuals as them, would be better than grave-digging,
sir.” , ,, ,. ,' ‘ ‘ . .
'1‘‘‘And, staying ‘ here ‘would be‘ bettcrip than either,
Mark,”'replied Tom. ‘L ‘(S6 take my advice; and continue
to swim‘ easily in smooth water.” ‘, ‘ . . . " , i
" “ It's too‘ late ‘to ,take it now, sir,” said Mark. “I
have broke‘it .to her, sir., ’I. am an to-morrow morn-
ing.‘.;Vo,,V,,. t,.. ‘< ‘ ,’ ‘ .
" “ Off l” cried Mr-.'LPinch, “ Where to ‘I ”,
““ I shall go up to London,lsir.’,’ ‘ 1, " ‘ ‘ ',
it-"W'hat to be?” asked Mr. Pincli." , ii ‘ ,
.“ VVelll I,don’t know yet, sir. H Nothing turned up
that day I opened my mind to you, as was at all likely‘to
suit me. All them trades‘! thought’ of was a ‘deal too
I must look‘for a privateservice I. suppose, sir. , I miglit
be brought out strong,-perhaps, in aserious family, Mr.‘
Pinch.’ . , j “ g p
‘ “.Perhaps you might come out rather too strong‘ for a.
serious fau1ily’s taste, Mark.”. . 1“ H ‘ ’
r"‘ That's possible,‘ sir.‘ I If I could get into a wicked
family, I )II1lgI1t,d0 myself justice : ,but the diflicultyis‘
to make sure of one’s’ground,'f because a young’man
can’t'very'well advertise thathe 'wants a place,"a”nd'
wages ain’t so. much an object as. as wicked sitivation:
7 . . . . -vJ I
canhe,sir?’ , l ‘
“ Why, no,” said Mr. Pinch, “ I don't tl1inkHhe.cau.f'
I ‘.‘1L'1’envious fan1ily,f’.pursued Mark, with ‘a'thou'ght-
ful face‘; “ or ‘u quarrelsome ‘family,jjor a. malicious
family, or even a good out-and-out mean family," would
open a field of a‘ction’as I might dosomething ‘in. ‘ The
man as would have suited me of all other men was, that
old gentleman as was tool; ill'l1ere,' fortlie really‘. was; a
trying customer.” Howsevcr, I must ‘waitandpsee ,what
turns up; sit; and hope for the worst.” j ‘ ‘ I I ’, ‘
.,, "‘.You are determined to go then?” V p L V , ,
,";"‘gliIy boi; isgone already. sir,‘by the waggon, and I’m
going to walk on to-morrow morning, and get a lifthy
the‘day coach when’it‘ overtakes me.‘ 50 fl’ wish you‘ '
good, b'ye,jMr; Pinch-and you too,'.s-ir,-and all good
lucka'nd‘l1appiness‘l”. .' ’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ' ‘ '
s it of him.
931‘:
Walked home -arm’-in-arm : Mr. Pinch imparting to his
new friend, as ‘they went,’ such further particulars"-'of '
Mark Tapleyswhirnsical restlessness"as‘- the readerisv‘
‘a1re'adyvacq'uainte'd‘with.’ 5 ‘,' ‘j "" t, I’ ' 5 “ "' M‘,
‘ In" the‘ mean ‘time Mark," having ashrewd notion'thz':t '-
his mistress was in very low spirits, and that he could‘
not exactly answer . for the consequences of any’ length-
erred men t?te in‘ thebar, kept himself obstinatelyl out‘-
of her way all the afternoon and evening. In this pieee5
' of generalship he was very much assisted by the great,
infiuxof ,company intoilie tap-room; for the n‘ews“of‘
his intention” havin gone abroad,‘ there’ was a vperfectf
throng there all t e evening, and‘ much ‘ drinking ‘oft
liealths and clinking of mu . At length the house was’
closed for the night; and t ere being now no help‘ for‘
it, Mark putthe best face he could upon the matter; and’
walked ‘doggedlyto the bar‘-door. ’ ‘ i : ‘ ,‘ ' "
V “If Ilook at her," said Mark to himself, “I’m done,-
Ifeel u1at1'm going test.” ‘ . - ’ ‘ ““ 1
f‘You have come at last,” said Mrs. Lupin; ‘jg ’
‘ Aye,’ Marksaid : There he was.‘ ’ ‘ ‘,5 e
“ And you ‘are determined to” leave -us, -Mark,” cried
Mrs. Lupin." " w ‘ ' - ‘V "
“ Why,’y“s’; I am,” said Mark; keepingvhis eyes,‘
hard ‘upon thejioor." ‘ " , , ,
7- “ I thought,” pursued the 'lan'dlady,‘with'a‘ most en-'1‘
g ging: hesitation, “that you had ‘been-fonds-‘of the
Drag-0n?V"" I s n '-:-11.:
e“ So I am," said Mark. '7" ' i " '-> -‘,‘ -' g’ “
‘ “'I‘heri‘,” pursued ‘the ‘hostess-and it really was not‘
an'unnatural‘inquiryf“ why’ do you desert it ‘I ” “ ‘ ‘i
But ashe gave no‘manner‘of answer toftliisqiicstioii ;'
not even on its being repeated ;‘ Mrsl1L'upin put his money’
into his hand, and "asked"him-4-not“unkindly,3 quite-the’
contrary-what he would take. " " ‘ ‘ "‘- .' ' < 5?“
It is proverbial that there nre certain‘things‘ivhicli‘
flesh and blood eannot‘bear. ”'-'Such‘a’qucstion as't.liis,'
propounded in such a‘ inanner; at such‘-'a‘ time, and'by
such a person, proved‘(at least,’ as'far'as‘Marlr’s fie'sh'and
blood’ were concerned) to beone of them; “ Iiclooked up
in spite of himself directly ;,and having once lodked up,“
there was no looking down again & for . nor‘-n11 ‘the 'tiglrt,
plump, ’lbuxon1,"bright-eyed,‘ din1ple.faced "i'la‘ndladies,'
thatever‘ shone‘ on earth,‘ there stood; before him then;
bodily in that bar, tlievery pink and pine‘np‘p1a;-; ‘ ’3 -“-"“
"‘ Vlfhy,’ Itell you what,” said ‘Mark; throwing off‘ all
his constraint in’ an'inst:int; and seizing the hostess round
l;n'ew’wlx'at'a good young man he was-"‘-if 'I‘t'ook>‘wha't
I liked most, should take on. ‘If, I only thought of
whatwas best for me,’ I shoud take you. “lfl took what
and'would‘t'ake at any price, ,I s l0lll(i' t:tke'youi ‘ ,Yes,‘I
should,” cried Mr.’ Tapley, slialcinghis head, ei:prcssivel
enough,’ and loolririg (in a momentary state" of forgetful-
nes )rather hard‘ at‘ the hostcss's ripe lips. f"And'no
man‘wouldn’t wonder if I did l ” V "x ‘ ‘ 3 -,7
‘ Mrs.,Lup.in said he amazed her. She wasiiistonished
how he could say such'tl1lngs." rsliojhadi never thought
‘ pf‘ VVhy, Inever thought it or myself till;now l ” said
Mark, Ijaisin‘g.l1is‘cyebrow‘s jvitlr‘a‘lool:',of the m'erries't
possiblesdrprise.’ ‘ f‘ I always expected ‘ we "should partf
and neverhave’ no explanation‘: ,I meant td do itwhcn "I
cmnein liere just now ;xb'ut'there’s soniethingaboht you
as makesia inan sensible.’-Er,Then let us have aiword or
‘trvo"'togeth'er’:' letting it be understood‘befor‘el1and4"‘ he
added tl1isin‘a’gravc tone, to prevent the ‘possibilityof
‘ pny mistake-,“ that I'm not a going to nialrepnololve, you
know.’,’.-‘‘"‘,, ,, ,7 V, V pp ,
'j>There"was' forjustuone second a shade-'-though‘ not by
any means a darlc",one-on’ the ,landlady’s“open‘brow.
But it pa'ssed”off instantly, in a laugh thatvcamc from her
veryhe'art.,1'." " “f “ V -""3;
“,Oli," very od !’.’ shef‘said;‘ f‘if.tl1>'ere is ‘to be no
love-making. you had better take your ann'awayL” j '
“ Lord, why should I T” cried Mark.‘ ‘ V‘: It's quite inno-
cent.” ' "N “ “ ‘ "9' “L
‘ “, Of conrse'it’s,innoc'cnt,’,' returned,tlie‘hostess,"‘ or I
shoi1ldn’t'aillo'wit:ff,’. 39“ < ‘ ‘z '
‘ “ Very well I" said Mark." “Then let it bcf" ’ “ " ‘- ‘ '
They both ‘returned his ‘ greeting“ laughingly, and
There wasso much reason in this, that tho‘ landlady
the ‘waist-'-‘at which she was not at all alarmed, for“s'h'e .
nineteenyoung fellows in txvent would be glad to take; ,
‘mar-u.s.;“;..1