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, quarters : from my clrildherself.
,.-self, as liaving meant it from tho,infant’s.cradlc. ,
1138
swallow, makes a summer-I’]l try, it , Torn Pinch
has succeeded. , VVith his advice to’ guide me, I may do
the same.‘ Itook Tom under, my’protection‘once, God
'.save the mark !” said Martin, with a melancholysmile’;
" and promised I would make his fortune. Perhaps Tom
will take me under his protection now, and teach me how
to earn my bread.” v .: ,; ,
CHAPTER XLIV.
Fnlrthrrcontinuatian of the Enterprise Qfxlfl‘. Jonas and his Friend.
11‘ was aspecial quality, among the many admirable
qualities possessed by Mr. Pecksniff, that the more he
was found out, the more hypocrisy he practised. Let
him be discomfited intone quarter; and he refreshed and
recompensed himself by carrying the war into another.
If his workings and windings were detected by A, so
much the greater reason was t ere for practising without
loss of time on B, if it-wereonly to keep his hand in.
He had never been such a saintly and improving spec-
tacle to all about him, as after his detection by Thomas
Pinch. He had scarcely ever been at once so tender in
his humanity, and so dignified and exalted in his virtue,
as when young Martin’s scorn was fresh and hot upon
him. . ,. , -. ,
g Having this large stock of superfluous sentiment and
morality onhand which must positively be cleared off at
-any sacrifice, Mr. Pecksniff no sooner heard,‘ his son-in-
law announced, than he regarded him as a kind of whole-
sale or general order, to be immediatel executed. Do-
scending, therefore, swiftly to the par our, and clasping
the young man in his arms, he exclaimed, with looks and
gestures that denoted the perturbationof his spirit :.
. “-Jonas! My child-she is Well? There is nothing
the matter? ”
“VVhat you're at it again, are you?” replied his son-
in-law. f‘Even with me? Get away with you, will
on 7.”
y “ Tell me she is well, then,” said Mr. Pecksniff.
, “Tell me she is well, my Boy l-” .
.. “ Shc’s well enou h,”.retcrted Jonas, disengaging him-
,.self. -4“ 'l‘here's not ring the matter with her.”
;“.There is nothingthe matter with her!” cried Mr.
Pecksniff, sitting down-in the nearest chair, and rubbing
up his haiii. ;‘ Fie upon my wciakness l . I caplnot help it,
Jonas. .1‘ ran 1 you. I am etter now. ow is my
other ‘child; my eldest ; my Clierrywerrychigo?” said
Mr. Pecksniff, inventing a playful little name for her, in
the restored .li htness of his heart. . ’ 7
-.‘‘,She’s muc about the same as usual,” returned Mr.
Jonas. V’ “ She sticks pretty close to ‘tho vinegar-bottle.
You know she's got it sweetheart, I suppose?”
,“,I have heard of it,” said Mr. Peicksuilff, “ fi(‘pm head-
. wil not en that
itfmovcd me,to contemplate the lossuof my remiining
daughter, Jonas--I am afraid we parents are selfish, I
am afraid we are-but it has e,ver.been the study of any
life to qualify them for. the doniestichearth ; and it is a
sphere which Cherry will adorn.", ' . 4 , ,
“ Shenecd adorn some sphere or other," observed his
son-in-law. ‘.‘.For,she ain’t very ornamental in general. "
., . ,.“My girls are now provided for,f’ said Mr. Pecksniff,
".'I‘hey are-now happily, provided for, and ,1 have not
' laboured in vain i '5 V , u ,,
. . This iscxactly what Mr. Pecksniif would have said, if
‘ one of his daughters had drawn a prize of thirty thous-
. and pounds in thelottery, or if the other had picked up
a valuable pursein the street,-.whichnobodyappeared to
- claim..’ In either of tliese cases, he would.have invoked
a patriarchal blessing on the fortunaltediead, with reat.
soleninity, and would have taken immense credit to rim-
-.
- “Suppose .we talk about so1nething"else,,now," ob-
:-served Jonas, dryly ; ‘J’ Just for a,change.. Are you quite
- agreeable? ” ' . . ' ’ “ ' ‘
A
.':'.,Quit'e,’,’ "saidfllfrl ‘,I"eck'sniVff.;E .‘-‘A11; you wag,'”you
,.naughty wag 1. You laugh at poor'old fond papa. )Vell I
lie deserves it.‘ ‘And he,doi1't mlndjit either,,for his feel-
. , ings,a.re,,tl1eir,,0w11 reward;',',. Xou,huve, come, to staywith
me. Jonas?" " “
o1a4JzLEs‘D1d1rENs" ‘woiezrs.
"f No. I’ve got a‘fric'n‘d with me,” said Jonas. ‘ j
“,‘ Bring your friend l” criedVMr.VI’ecksnil1', in a ush
of hospitality.“."‘.Bring any number, of your friends H” i
“This aint thesort of man tobe’ brought," said Jonas,
contemptuously. “ I think I see myself ‘ bringlng"him
to vour house, for a treat I "Thank‘ce all the same ; but
he’s a little too near the top of the tree for that, Peck-
sniff.” . , H i , -
The good man prickredup his cars; his intcrestjvas
awakened. ‘A position near the top" of the treefwas great-
ness, virtue, goodness, sense,’ genius ; or, it shouldratlier
be said, a dispensation from all, and in itself something
immeasurably better than all; with “Mr. I’cc1rsnilf;" A
man who was able to‘ look down upon,M1‘.' Pcclisniif
could not be looked up at, by that gentleman, with ‘too
great an amount of deference, or,’ from it position ,of ‘too
much humility. So it always is with great spirits.‘
“ I’ll tell you whatuyou may do, if you like,” said'Jo-
nus: ‘fyou may come andidinewitli us at the Dragon.
VVe were forced to come down to Salisburyglast night, on
some business, and I got him to bring me over here this
morning, in his carriage; at least, not 1liS‘0""1’1NCa1'.
riage, for we had a break-downin the night, but one we
hired; it's all the same. Mindwhat you’re about, you
know. He’s not used to‘all sorts';,he only mixes with
thebestl” ... , H ,,'
“ Some young noblemangvlio has been borrowing
money of you at good interest, eh ? ” said Mr Pecksnifl,
shaking his forefinger facetiously. I" I shall be deliglrted
to know the gay spri .”, , , , ‘V V l
“ Borrowing l” eciloed Jonas. ' "Borrowing! lVh,cn
you're a twentieth part as rich as he is, youjmay sliutlup
shop. lVe should be pretty well off, if we could buy, his
furniture, and plate, and pictures, by clubbingltogctlrer.
A likely man to borrow': Mr. Montague l'.“VV y, since I
was lucky enough (comel and ,I’ll' say, shar enough,
too) to get a share in the Insurance Office" that ic"s Presi-
dent of, I've inade--neveryniind‘ what I've, made,‘f said
Jonas, seeming, ‘to recover all atonce his ‘usual ‘, caution.
“ You know me pretty,'we'll, andl don't blab about such
things. , But, ,Ecod. I've made 11. trifIe.',’ ’ ‘” '
“Really, my de'ar,’Jonas,” cried Mr. Pecksniff, with
much warmth, ..“a gentleman like this should receive
some attention. VVonld he like to see the church‘? or if
he has a tastefor the fine,arts-which ,1 have no doubt
he has, from the descriptiom you give of his circum-
stances-I can send him down a few portfolios. Salis-
bury Cathedral, my dear Jonas,” said Mr. Pecksniff : the
mention of the portfolios, and his anxiety to display him-
self ‘to advantage, suggesting his usual phraseology in
that regard “is an edifice replete with venerable’ asso-
ciations, and strikingly suggestive of the’loftlest“emo-
tions. It is here ‘we contemplate the work offbygono
ages. It is here we listen .to the swelling organ.as we
stroll through the re‘verberating'aisles., -VV'c have draw-
ings of this celebrated structure from‘tlie,‘North,ffrom
the South, from the ,East,' from” the West, 'froxn"the
South-East, from the .Nor"-VVest+’.", . ‘ " 7; ‘
During this digression, and indeed duringithe whole
dialogue, Jonas had been rocking on his ‘clia1r,witl1“l1is
hands in liispockets, and his head thrown cunningly, on
one side., 1 He ‘looked. at ‘Mr. Pecksniff now, with sifch
shrewd meaning twinklingwin his eyes, that Mr. ‘Ifeck.
sniff stopped, and asked him what he was going to say.
V .f‘ Ec,od,l.’.’, he,,answered. W“.Pecksniff, if ;I knew, how
you meant to leave your money, '1 could putiyou in the
way of , doubling it, in no time. i, It wouldn't be bad to
keep a chance like this sang in the'family.' ‘ But you're
suchadecponel”; F,‘ ’ ,. ' ‘. ' '
‘‘‘‘,Jonas i” cried Mr.‘ Pocksniif, much affectcd,‘i“I am
not a diplomatical character : my heart‘ is ‘in my hand.
By far,tho greaterpart of thovlnconsiderable savings I
have accumulated in 'tl1egco'urso‘.of‘-'-I hope--fa not dis-
honourable or useless career, is already, given, devised,
and bequeathed (correct me, my dear. Jonas, if I am tooli-
nically wrong), Pwith, expressions: of confidence,‘ which I
will not repeat ; and in securities which’ it isunncccssary.
to mention.;' to aperson whom I cannot, whom I willnot,
whom I need not, name.” illere he'gave the hand of his
son-in-law a fervent squeezehas ifihe wouldhave added,
jg god bless you,‘ bemvcrygcarcfulv of .it,‘whcn you 'gct
1 -I - - ‘I
7 5