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370 EHARLES . DICKENS’ WORKS.
'.‘ Morning, morning, morning i”. , ,
‘iAppears- to be rather 9. ’arty old cock too," said Mr.
Wegg, as before. “ Good-morning, to you, sir.”
“Do you remember me, then?” asked his‘ new ac-
quaintance, stopping in his amble, one-sided, before the
stall, and speaking in a pouncing way, though with
great ood-humour. ’
“ I ave noticed you go past our, house, sir, several
times in the course of the last week or so.” ,
“ Our house,” repeated the other. “ Meaninge? ”
“ Yes,” said Mr. VVegg, nodding, as the other pointed
the clumsy forefinger of his rig t glove at the corner
rouse. , . I .
.“ Oh I Now, what,” pursued the old fellow, in an in-
quisitive manner, carrying his knotted stick in his left
arm as if it were a baby, “what do they allow you
now?” .
“It’s job work that I do for our house,” returned
Silas, duly, and with reticenee ; “ it's not yet brought to
an exact allowance." ‘
“ Ohl It's not yet brought to an exact allowance?
No l It’s not yet brought to an exact allowance. Oh 1
-Morning, morning, morning I ”
‘.‘ Appears to be rather, a cracked old cock,” thought
Si1as,‘qualifyiug his former good opinion, as the other
ambled off. But, in a moment he was back again with
the question : '
“ How did you get your wooden leg ‘I ”
Mr.,NVeg replied (tartly to this personal inquiry),
“ In an acci ent."
‘f Do you like it ‘I ”
“‘ Well! I haven’t got to keep it warm,” Mr. W'cn'g
made answer, in a sort of desperation occasioned by t e
singularity of the question.
“He hasn’t,” repeated the other to his knotted stick,
as he gave it a hug; “ he hasn’t got--ha l-ha I-to keep
it warm l v Did you ever hear of the name of Boilini ”
“No." said Mr. VVegg, who was growing restive un-
‘der this examination. “ I never did hear of the name of
Boffin.”
“ Do you like it ‘I ”
,“.-VVhy, no,” retorted Mr. VVegg, again approaching
desperation ; “ I can’t say I do.”
“ VVhy don’t you like it ? ” .
.“I don’t know why I don’t,” retorted Mr. iVegg ap-
proaching frenzy, “but I don’t at all.”
, f‘ Now, I'll tell you something that'll make, you sorry
for that,” said the stranger, smiling. “ My name’s
'Boflin.” - ' ‘
‘,‘ I can’t help it i ” returned Mr. V‘Vegg. Implying in
his manner the offensive-addition, "and if 1 could, I
wouldn’t. ”, , - ,
“'5 But there’s, another chance for you,” said Mr. Boflin,
smiling sti11,-“Do you ,- like the name of Nicodemus?
Think it over. Nick, or Noddy.” . .
, f‘,lt is not,,sir,” Mr, Wegg rejoined, as he sat down
on his steel, with an air of gentle resignation, combined
with melancholy candour ; “it is not a name as I could
Wish any one that I had a respect for to call me by ; but
there maybe persons that would not view it with the
same objections.-I don’t know why.” Mr. VVegg added,
anticipating another question.
.“ Noddy Boilin,” said that gentleman. “ Noddy.
That’s my name. . Noddy-or Nick-Bofiin. VVhat’s
your name ‘? ”
“Silas VVegg.-I don’t,” said Mr. VVegg. bestirring
himself to take the same precaution as before, “ I don’t
know why Silas, and I don’t know why W'egg.”
“ Now, XVcgg,” ‘said Mr. Boilin, hugging his stick
closer, “ Iwaut to make a sort of offer to you. w Do you
remember, when you first see me ‘2 ” , .
The wooden VVegg looked at ‘him with a meditative
eye, and also with a softened air as descrying possibility
ofprofit. , f‘ Let me think. I ain’t quite , sure, and yet I
generally take a powerful sight of. notice, too. XVas it
on a. Monday morning, when the. butcher-boyhad ibeen
to,our,house for orders,.and.bought a balladof me,
which, being unacquainted with ,the tune, I ran it over
to him?” ; , , .
“Itight, Wegg, .right 1 ‘But he: bought more than
“iYes,'toibesi1re, sir';‘he. bought several ; and wisliing
o
to lay out his money to the best, he took my opinion’ to
guide his choice, and we went over the collection to.
gether. To be sure we did. Here was him as itmighg
be, and here was myself as it might be..and'there.wng
you,’ Mr. Boflin, as you identically are, with your self.
same stick under your very sume‘nrm, and your very
same back towards us. To’--be--sure!” added Mr.
Wegg, looking a little round Mr. Boilin, to ‘take ‘him in
the rear, and identify this last extraordinary coincidence,
" your wery self-same back 1'’
" XVhnt do you think I was doin , VVegg?"
"I should judge, sir,‘th'at you might be glancing your
eye down the street.”
“ No, “'egg. I was a. listening."
" iVas you indeed?” said Mr. XVe , dubiously. In
“ N 01: in a dishonournblo way, egg, becauso’you
were singing to the butcher; and you wouldntsing
secrets to a butcher in the street, you know." V “ I
“It never happened that I did so yet, to the best of
my remembrance,” said Mr VVegg, cautiously. .‘“Bm,
I might do it. A man can’t say what he might wish to
do some day or another.” (This, not to release any,'little
advantage 0 might derive from Mr. Boiiin’s avowal.) ’
" VVell,” repeated Boiiin, “I was a listcningto you
and to him. And what do you-youhayen’t got‘ another
stool, have you? I'm rather thick in my breatli.’f
“ I havcn’t got another, but you're‘welcoIne to this,"
said iVegg, resi ning it. “ It’s a treat to me to stand.”
“ Lard l ” exc aimed Mr. Bofiin, in a tone of greaten.
joyment, as he settled himself down, still nursingyhis
stick like a baby, “ it’s a pleasant place, this 1 ' And
then to be shut in on each side, with these ballads, like
so many book-leaf blinkers l VVhy, it's delightfulfff '
“If I am not mistaken sir,” Mr. VVe g delicately
hinted, resting a hand on his stall, and ben ing over the
discursive Botiin, “you alluded to soinc'od‘er oranothcr
that was in your mind? " . I ' ‘
“ I’m coming to it I All right. I’1n coming toitl I
was going to say that when I listened that morning,‘I
listened with hadmiration amounting to haw. 11 thought ,
to myself, ‘ Here's a man with a wooden leg-aliterary
man withe’ ” ‘
“ N-not exactly so, sir,” said Mr. “Tegg.
““’hy, you know every one of these songswbyyname,
and by tune, and if you want to read or to sing any one
on ’em off straight, you've only to whip on your specta-
cles and do it I'’ cried Mr. Boilln.- “ I see you at it!”
u ' n r .' ' ‘
c1in$X3.i’oi‘fi.e i1’$i‘(i"-e“i‘.“vi5i1‘2a‘;giik$iii1; “1i.‘2’I.S5‘-“S ""
1 ‘ I - , .
“ ‘A litera man-with a. wooden lc -and all Print
1'5’ 8'
is open to him 1’ That’s what I thought to myself that‘
morning,” pursued’Mr'. Boilin, leaning forward to de-
scribe, uncramped by the clothes-horse, as large an are
as his right arm could make; “ ‘all Print is open to
him I’ And it is, ain’t it?” ‘
“ VVhy, truly, sir,” Mr. WVegg admitted, withmodesty;
“I believe you couldn't show me the. piece of English
print, that I wouldn’t be equal to collaring and throw-
ing.” i
“ On the spot?” said Mr. Boflin.
“On the spot.” ' ' ' ‘
“I know’d it! Then consider this. Here am I, a
man without a wooden leg, and yet all print is.sl:ut
to me.” . - "
“Indeed, sir?” Mr. ‘Vt-gg returned with increasing
self-complacency. “ Education neglected ‘Z ”
“ Neg-lected !” repeated Boflin, with emphasis. ‘.‘ That
ain’t no word for it. I don’t mean to say but what if
you showedme a B, I could so far give you change for
it, as to answer Bofiin.”- - ' ' '
“Come, come, sir,” said’ Mr. ‘Vegg, throwing in a
little encouragement, “ that's something too."
“ It’s something," answered Mr. Boilin, “ but I’l1takc
my oath it ain’t much.” . " " '1 . - '
“ Perhaps it’s not as much as could he wished by an
inquiring mind, sir,” Mr. VVegg admitted. ‘ ‘.
‘‘Now,‘1o0k.bere.' I'm retired from business. M8
and Mrs. Boiiin-Henerietty. Bofiin-’-which her. father's
name was Henery, andther-mother’s name wasrlietty,
and so you get it-we live on a compittance, under the
will of a,diseased’governor.” v ’ '. . ' '
‘.‘.Gent1eman dead, sir?”
.44
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