I murmured `Certainly,' and Mr Pumblechook took me by both hands again, and communicated a movement to his waistcoat, which had an emotional appearance, though it was rather low down, `My dear young friend, rely upon my doing my little all in your absence, by keeping the fact before the mind of Joseph. - Joseph!' said Mr Pumblechook, in the way of a compassionate adjuration. `Joseph!! Joseph!!!' Thereupon he shook his head and tapped it, expressing his sense of deficiency in Joseph.

`But my dear young friend,' said Mr Pumblechook, `you must be hungry, you must be exhausted. Be seated. Here is a chicken had round from the Boar, here is a tongue had round from the Boar, here's one or two little things had round from the Boar, that I hope you may not despise. But do I,' said Mr Pumblechook, getting up again the moment after he had sat down, `see afore me, him as I ever sported with in his times of happy infancy? And may I - may I - ?'

This May I, meant might he shake hands? I consented, and he was fervent, and then sat down again.

`Here is wine,' said Mr Pumblechook. `Let us drink, Thanks to Fortune, and may she ever pick out her favourites with equal judgment! And yet I cannot,' said Mr Pumblechook, getting up again, `see afore me One - and likewise drink to One - without again expressing - May I - may I - ?'

I said he might, and he shook hands with me again, and emptied his glass and turned it upside down. I did the same; and if I had turned myself upside down before drinking, the wine could not have gone more direct to my head.

Mr Pumblechook helped me to the liver wing, and to the best slice of tongue (none of those out-of-the- way No Thoroughfares of Pork now), and took, comparatively speaking, no care of himself at all. `Ah! poultry, poultry! You little thought,' said Mr Pumblechook, apostrophizing the fowl in the dish, `when you was a young fledgling, what was in store for you. You little thought you was to be refreshment beneath this humble roof for one as - Call it a weakness, if you will,' said Mr Pumblechook, getting up again, `but may I? may I - ?'

It began to be unnecessary to repeat the form of saying he might, so he did it at once. How he ever did it so often without wounding himself with my knife, I don't know.

`And your sister,' he resumed, after a little steady eating, `which had the honour of bringing you up by hand! It's a sad picter, to reflect that she's no longer equal to fully understanding the honour. May--'

I saw he was about to come at me again, and I stopped him.

`We'll drink her health,' said I.

`Ah!' cried Mr Pumblechook, leaning back in his chair, quite flaccid with admiration, `that's the way you know 'em, sir!' (I don't know who Sir was, but he certainly was not I, and there was no third person present); `that's the way you know the nobleminded, sir! Ever forgiving and ever affable. It might,' said the servile Pumblechook, putting down his untasted glass in a hurry and getting up again, `to a common person, have the appearance of repeating - but may I - ?'

When he had done it, he resumed his seat and drank to my sister. `Let us never be blind,' said Mr Pumblechook, `to her faults of temper, but it is to be hoped she meant well.'

At about this time, I began to observe that he was getting flushed in the face; as to myself, I felt all face, steeped in wine and smarting.

I mentioned to Mr Pumblechook that I wished to have my new clothes sent to his house, and he was ecstatic on my so distinguishing him. I mentioned my reason for desiring to avoid observation in the village, and he lauded it to the skies. There was nobody but himself, he intimated, worthy of my confidence, and - in short, might he? Then he asked me tenderly if I remembered our boyish games at sums, and