This solemn question determined, we returned to the this here lantern was passed to 'Tony Veller, vich circlock-case, (where we have been forestalled by the read. cumstance, mum, gives it a wally in my eyes, and makes er,) and between its contents, and the conversation they me rek-vest, if you vill be so kind, as to take particular occasioned, the remainder of our time passed very care on it." quickly.

When we broke up, Mr. Pickwick took me aside, to tell me that he had spent a most delightful evening. Having made this communication with an air of the strictest secresy, he took Jack Redburn into another corner to tell him the same, and then retired into another corner with the deaf gentleman and the slate, to repeat his assurance. It was amusing to observe the contest in his mind, whether he should extend his confidence to Mr. Miles, or treat him with dignified reserve. Half a dozen times he stepped back again without say ing a word; at last, when he was close at that gentle man's ear, and upon the very point of whispering something conciliating and agreeable, Mr. Miles happened suddenly to turn his head, upon which Mr. Pickwick skipped away with some fiercenesss, "Good night, sir -I was about to say good night, sir-nothing more;" and so made a bow and left him.

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The housekeeper graciously promised to keep the object of Mr. Weller's regard in the safest possible custody, and Mr. Pickwick, with a laughing face, took his leave. The body-guard followed side by side: old Mr. Weller buttoned and wrapped up from his boots to his chin; and Sam followed with his hands in his pockets and his hat half on his head, remonstrating with his father, as he went, on his extreme loquacity.

I was not a little surprised, on turning to go up stairs, to encounter the barber in the passage at that late hour; for his attendance is usually confined to some half-hour in the morning. But Jack Redburn, who finds out (by instinct, I think) every thing that happens in the house, informed me with great glee, that a society in imitation of our own had been that night formed in the kitchen, under the title of "Mr. Weller's Watch," of which the barber was a member; and that he could pledge himself to find means of making me acquainted with the

Now, Sam," said Mr. Pickwick, when he got down whole of its future proceedings, which I begged him both stairs. on my account and that of my readers, by no means to neglect doing.

"All right, sir,” replied Mr. Weller. "Hold hard, sir, right arm fust-now the left-now one strong conwulsion and the great coat's on, sir."

Mr. Pickwick acted upon these directions, and being further assisted by Sam, who pulled at one side of the collar, and the elder Mr. Weller, who pulled hard at the other, was speedily enrobed. Mr. Weller, senior, then produced a full sized stable lantern which he had carefully deposited in a remote corner on his arrival, and inquired whether Mr. Pickwick would have "the lamps alight."

"I think not to-night," said Mr. Pickwick.

THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP.

CHAPTER II.

After combating, for nearly a week, the feeling which impelled me to revisit the place I had quitted under the circumstances already detailed, I yielded to it at length; and determining that this time I would present myself by the light of day, bent myself thither early in the af ternoon.

The old man and another person were together in the back part, and there seemed to have been high words between them, for their voices which were raised to a very loud pitch suddenly stopped on my entering, and the old man advancing hastily towards me, said in a tremulous tone that he was very glad I had come.

"Then if this here lady will per-mit," rejoined Mr. Weller, "we'll leave it here ready for next journey. This here lantern, mum," said Mr. Weller, handing it to the house-keeper, "vunce belonged to the celebrated I walked past the house, and took several turns in the Bill Blinder as is now at grass, as all on us vill be in our street, with that kind of hesitation which is natural to a turns. Bill, mum, wos the hostler as had charge o' man who is conscious that the visit he is about to pay is them two vel known piebald leaders that run in the unexpected, and may not be very acceptable. Bristol fast coach, and vould never go to no other tune However, as the door of the shop was shut, and it did but a southerly vind and a cloudy sky, which wos con-not appear likely that I should be recognised by those sekvently played incessant, by the guard, whenever they within, if I continued merely to pass up and down bewos on duty. He wos took wery bad one arternoon, fore it, I soon conquered this irresolution, and found myarter having been off his feed, and wery shaky on his self in the Curiosity Dealer's warehouse. legs for some veeks; and he says to the mate. Matey,' he says, I think I'm goin' the wrong side o' the post, and that my foot's wery near the bucket. Don't say I a'nt,' he says, for I know I am, and don't let me be interrupted,' he says, 'for I've saved a little money, and I'm a-goin' into the stable to make my last vill and testyment.' I'll take care as nobody interrupts you,' says his mates, but you on'y hold up your head, and shake your ears a bit, and you're good for twenty years to come.' Bill Blinder makes him no answer, but he goes avay into the stable, and there he soon arterwards lays himself down a'tween the two piebalds, and dies, previously a-writin' outside the corn-chest, This is the last vill and testy mint of Villiam Blinder.' They wos nat'rally wery much amazed at this, and arter looking among the litter, and up in the loft, and vere not, they opens the corn-chest, and finds that he'd been and chalked his vill inside the lid; so the lid was obligated "I know it," returned the other. “I said so, didn't to be took off the hinges, and sent up to Doctor's Com- I? But neither oaths, nor prayers, nor words, will kill mons to be proved, and under that ere wery instrement me, and therefore I live, and mean to live."

"You interrupted us at a critical moment," he said, pointing to the man I had found in company with him; "this fellow will murder me one of these days. He would have done so, long ago, if he had dared."

"Bah! you would swear away my life if you could," returned the other, after bestowing a stare and a frown on me; "we all know that."

"I almost think I could," cried the old man, turning feebly upon him. "If oaths, or prayers, or words could rid me of you, they should. I would be quit of you, and would be relieved if you were dead."

drunk.

"And his mother died!" cried the old man, passion- ner possible, the information that he had been extremely ately clasping his hands and looking upward; " and this is Heaven's justice!"

The other stood lounging with his foot upon a chair, and regarded him with a contemptuous sneer. He was a young man of one-and-twenty or thereabouts; well made, and certainly handsome, though the expression of his face was far from prepossessing, having, in common with his manner and even his dress, a dissipated, insolent air which repelled one.

"Justice or no justice," said the young man," here I am and here I shall stop till such time as I think fit to go, unless you send for assistance to put me out-which you won't do, I know. I tell you again that I want to

see my sister."

"Your sister," said the old man, bitterly. "Ah! You can't change the relationship," returned the other. 46 If you could, you'd have done it long ago.

But what," said Mr. Swiveller with a sigh, "what is the odds so long as the fire of soul is kindled at the taper of conviviality, and the wing of friendship never moults a feather!-What is the odds so long as the spirit is expanded by means of rosy wine, and the present moment is the least happiest of our existence !"

You needn't act the chairman here," said his friend, half aside.

"Fred," cried Mr. Swivel'er, tapping his nose, " a word to the wise is sufficient for them-we may be good and happy without riches, Fred. Say not another syllable. I know my cue; smart is the word. Only one little whisper, Fred-is the old man friendly ?" "Never mind," replied his friend.

ད་

Right again, quite right," said Mr. Swiveller, " caution is the word, and caution is the act." With what, he I want to see my sister, that you cooped up here, poison-winked as if in preservation of some deep secret, and ing her mind with your sly secrets, and pretending an affection for her that you may work her to death, and folding his arms and leaning back in his chair, looked up at the ceiling with profound gravity. add a few scraped shillings every week to the money you can hardly count. I want to see her; and I will."

“Here's a moralist to talk of poisoned minds! Here's a generous spirit to scorn scraped-up shillings;" cried the old man, turning from him to me. "A profligate, sir, who has forfeited every claim not only upon those who have the misfortune to be of his blood, but upon society which knows nothing of him but his misdeeds. A liar, too," he added in a lower voice as he drew closer to me, "who knows how dear she is to me, and seeks to wound me even there, because there is a stranger by."

"Strangers are nothing to me, grandfather," said the "not I to them, I young fellow, catching at the word, hope. The best they can do, is to keep an eye to their business and leave me to mine. There's a friend of mine waiting outside, and as it seems that I may have to wait some time, I'll call him in, with your leave."

It was perhaps not very unreasonable to suspect from what had already passed, that Mr. Swiveller was not quite recovered from the effects of the powerful sunlight to which he had made allusion; but if no suspicion had been awakened by his speech, his wiry hair, dull eyes, and sallow face, would still have been strong witness against him. His attire was not, as he had himself hinted, remarkable for the nicest arrangement, but was in a state of disorder which strongly induced the idea that he had gone to bed in it. It consisted of a brown body coat with a great many brass buttons up the front and only one behind, a bright check handkerchief, a plaid waistcoat, soiled white trousers, and a very limp hat, worn with the wrong side foremost, to hide a hole in the brim. The breast of his coat was ornamented with an outside pocket from which there peeped forth the cleanest end of a very ill-favoured handkerchief; his dirty wristbands were pull

Saying this, he stepped to the door, and looking downed down as far as possible and ostentatiously folded back the street beckoned several times to some unseen person, over his cuffs; he displayed no gloves, and carried a yelwho, to judge from the air of impatience with which low cane having at the top a bone hand with the semthese signals were accompanied, required a great quanti-blance of a ring on its little finger and a black ball in its ty of persuasion to induce him to advance. At length grasp. there sauntered up, on the other side of the way-with a bad pretence of passing by accident-a figure conspicuous for its dirty smartness, which after many frowns and jerks of the head, in resistance of the invitation, ultimately crossed the road and was brought into the shop.

"There. It's Dick Swiveller," said the young fellow, pushing him in. Sit down, Swiveller."

"But is the old man agreeable?" said Mr. Swiveller in an under tone.

"Sit down," repeated his companion.

Mr. Swiveller complied, and looking about him with a propitiatory smile, observed that last week was a fine week for the ducks, and this week was a fine week for the dust; he also observed that while standing by the post at the street corner, he had observed a pig with a straw in his mouth issuing out of the tobacco-shop, from which appearance he augured that another fine week for the ducks was approaching, and that rain would certainly He furthermore took occasion to apologise for any negligence that might be perceptible in his dress, on the ground that last night he had had "the sun very strong in his eyes;" by which expression he was understood to convey to his hearers in the most delicate man

erisue.

With all these personal advantages (to which may be added a strong savour of tobacco-smoke, and a prevailing greasiness of appearance). Mr. Swiveller leant back in his chair with his eyes fixed on the ceiling, and occasionally pitching his voice to the needful key, obliged the company with a few bars of an intensely dismal air, and then, in the middle of a note, relapsed into his former silence.

The old man sat himself down in a chair, and, with folded hands, looked sometimes at his grandson and sometimes at his strange companion, as if he were utterly powerless, and had no resource but to leave them to do as they pleased. The young man reclined against a table at no great distance from his friend, in apparent indifference to every thing that had passed; and I-who felt the difficulty of any interference, notwithstanding that the old man had appealed to me, both by words and looks-made the best feint I could of being occupied in examining some of the goods that were disposed for sale, and paying very little attention to the persons before me.

The silence was not of long duration, for Mr. Swiveller, after favouring us with several melodious assurances that his heart was in the highlands, and that he wanted but his Arab steed, as a preliminary to the achievement

of great feats of valour and loyalty, removed his eyes from the ceiling and subsided into prose again.

"Fred," said Mr. Swiveller, stopping short as if the idea had suddenly occurred to him, and speaking in the same audible whisper as before, "is the old man friendly?"

Then, the plain question is, an't it a pity that this state of things should continue, and how much better would it be for the old gentleman to hand over a reasonable amount of tin, and make it all right and comfortable ?” Having delivered this oration with a great many waves and flourishes of the hand, Mr. Swiveller abruptly thrust "What does it matter?" returned his friend, peev- the head of his cane into his mouth as if to prevent himishly. self from impairing the effect of his speech by adding one other word.

"No, but is he?" said Dick. "Yes, of course.

not ?"

What do I care whether he is or

Emboldened as it seemed by this reply to enter into a more general conversation, Mr. Swiveller plainly laid himself out to captivate our attention.

How often am I to tell you," returned the other, looking coldly at him, “that I know better?"

You have chosen your own path," said the old man. Follow it. Leave Nell and I to toil and work." "Nell will be a woman soon," returned the other, "and

He began by remarking that soda water, though a good thing in the abstract, was spt to lie cold upon the stomach unless qualified with ginger or a small effusion of brandy, which latter article he held to be preferable in all cases, saving for the one consideration of expense. Nobody venturing to dispute these positions, he proceed-bred in your faith, she'll forget her brother unless he ed to observe that the human hair was a great retainer shows himself sometimes."

You mean when she has your money?” retorted the other. How like a poor man he talks!"

of tobacco-smoke, and that the young gentlemen of Take care," said the old man with sparkling eyes, Westminister and Eton, after eating a vast quantity of "that she does not forget you when you would have her apples to conceal any scent of cigars from their anxious memory keenest. Take care that the day don't come friends, were usually detected in consequence of their when you walk barefoot in the streets, and she rides by heads possessing this remarkable property; whence he in a gay carriage of her own." concludes that if the royal society would turn their attention to the circumstance, and endeavour to find in the resources of science a means of preventing such untoward revelations, they might indeed be looked upon as benefactors to mankind. These opinions being incontrovertible with those he had already pronounced, he went on to inform us that Jamaica rum, though unquestionably an agreeable spirit of great richness and flavour, had the drawback of remaining constantly present to the taste next day; and nobody being venturous enough to argue this point either, he increased in confidence and became yet more companionable and communicative.

"And yet," said the old man dropping his voice and speaking like one who thinks aloud, “how poor we are, and what a life it is! The cause is a young child's, guiltless of all harm or wrong, but nothing goes well with it! Hope and patience, and hope and patience!"

These words were uttered in too low a tone to reach the ears of the young man. Mr. Swiveller appeared to think that they implied some mental struggle consequent upon the powerful effect of his address, for he poked his friend with his cane and whispered his conviction that "It's a devil of a thing, gentlemen," said Mr. Swivel- he had administered "a clincher," and that he expected ler." when relations fall out and disagree. If the wing a commission on the profits. Discovering his mistake of friendship should never moult a feather, the wing of after a while, he appeared to grow rather sleepy and disrelationship should never be clipped, but he always ex-contented, and had more than once suggested the propanded and serene. Why should a grandson and grand-priety of an immediate departure, when the door opened, father peg away at each other with mutual violence when and the child herself appeared.

all might be bliss and concord? Why not jine hands

and forgit it?"

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Hold your tongue," said his friend.

Sir," replied Mr. Swiveller, " don't you interrupt the chair. Gentlemen, how does the case stand, upon the present occasion ? Here is a jolly old grandfather-I say it with the utmost respect-and here is a wild young grandson. The jolly old grandfather says to the wild The child was closely followed by an elderly man of young grandson, I have brought you up and educated remarkably hard features and forbidding aspect, and so you, Fred; I have put you in the way of getting on in low in stature as to be quite a dwarf, though his head life; you have bolted a little out of the course as young and face were large enough for the body of a giant. His fellows often do; and you shall never have another black eyes were restless, sly, and cunning; his mouth chance, nor the ghost of half a one.' The wild young and chin, bristly with the stubble of a coarse hard beard; grandson makes answer to this and says, You're as rich his complexion was one of that kind which never looks as rich can be; you have been at no uncommon expense clean or wholesome. But what added most to the groon my account, you're saving up piles of money for my tesque expression of his face, was a ghastly smile, which, little sister that lives with you in a secret, stealthy, hug- appearing to be the mere result of habit and to have no ger-mugger kind of way, and with no manner of enjoy-connection with any mirthful or complacent feeling, conment-why can't you stand a trifle for your grown-up stantly revealed the few discoloured fangs that were yet relation!' The jolly old grandfather unto this, retorts, scattered in his mouth, and gave him the aspect of a not only that he declines to fork out with that cheerful readiness which is always so agreeable and pleasant in a gentleman of his time of life, but that he will blow up, and call names, and make reflections whenever they meet.

panting dog. His dress consisted of a large high-crowned hat, a worn dark suit, a pair of capacious shoes, and a dirty white neckerchief sufficiently limp and crumpled to disclose the greater portion of his wiry throat. Such

and dreaded as if I brought the plague? He'll tell you
that I have no natural affection; and that I care no more
for Nell, for her own sake, than I do for him. Let him
say so. I care for the whim, then, of coming to and fro
and reminding her of my existence. I will see her when
I please. That's my point. I came here to-day to main-
tain it, and I'll come here again fifty times with the
I said I would
same object and with the same success.
not stop till I had gained it. I have done so, and now
my visit's ended. Come, Dick."

"Stop!" cried Mr. Swiveller, as his companion turned towards the door. "Sir !"

"Sir, I am your humble servant," said Mr. Quilp, to whom the monosyllable was addressed.

"Before I leave the gay and festive scene, and halls of dazzling light, sir," said Mr. Swiveller. "I will, with your permission, attempt a slight remark. I came here, sir, this day, under the impression that the old man was friendly."

Proceed, sir," said Daniel Quilp; for the orator had made a sudden stop.

Inspired by this idea and the sentiments it awakened, sir, and feeling as a mutual friend that badgering, bait

"A gentleman who was so good as to bring Nelling, and bullying, was not the sort of thing calculated to expand the souls and promote the social harmony of the home the other night when she lost her way, coming contending parties, I took upon myself to suggest a from your house." course which is the course to be adopted on the present occasion. Will you allow me to whisper half a syllable, sir?"

Without waiting for the permission he sought, Mr. Swiveller stepped up to the dwarf, and leaning on his shoulder and stooping down to get at his ear, said in a

"No, no. For shame. Oh, no!" cried the child.
"To love perhaps?" pursued her brother with a voice which was perfectly audible to all present,

tell her she may speak freely and I won't be angry with head without it, that I cannot believe but that, being her Oh! well-trained Mrs. Quilp!" tempted, it will come at last!"

The creature appeared quite horrible with his monstrous head and little body, as he rubbed his hands slowly round, and round, and round again-with something fantastic even in his manner of performing this slight action-and, dropping his shaggy brows and cocking his chin in the air, glanced upward with a stealthy look of exultation that an imp might have copied and appropriated to himself.

Here," he said, putting his hand into his breast, and sidling up to the old man as he spoke; “I brought it myself for fear of accidents, as being in gold, it was something large and heavy for Nell to carry in her bag. She need be accustomed to such loads betimes though, neighbour, for she will carry weight when you are dead."

"Heaven send she may! I hope so," said the old man with something like a groan.

She looked cheerfully into his face, but made no answer.

"When I think," said he, " of the many years-many in thy short life-that thou hast lived alone with me; of thy monotonous existence, knowing no companions of thy own age nor any childish pleasures; of the solitude in which thou hast grown to be what thou art, and in which thou hast lived apart from nearly all thy kind but one old man; I sometimes fear I have dealt hardly by thee, Nell."

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Grandfather!” cried the child in unfeigned surprise. "Not in intention-no, no," said he. “I have ever looked forward to the time that should enable thee to mix among the gayest and prettiest, and take thy station with the best. But I still look forward, Nell, I still look

forward, and if I should be forced to leave thee, meanwhile how have I fitted thee for struggles with the world? The poor bird yonder is as well qualified to encounter it, and be turned adrift upon its mercies-hark! I hear Kit

"Hope so!" echoed the dwarf, approaching close to his ear; "neighbour, I would I knew in what good invest-outside. Go to him, Nell, go to him." ment all these supplies are sunk. But you are a deep man, and keep your secret close."

"My secret!" said the other with a haggard look.— Yes, you're right—I—I—keep it close-very close.” He said no more, but taking the money turned away with a slow uncertain step, and pressed his hand upon his head like a weary and dejected man. The dwarf watched him sharply, while he passed into the little sit ting-room and locked it an on safe above the chimneypiece; and after musing for a short space, prepared to take his leave, observing that unless he made good haste, Mrs. Quilp would certainly be in fits on his return.

She rose, and hurrying away, stopped, turned back, and put her arms about the old man's neck, then left him and hurried away again-but faeter this time, to hide her falling tears.

"A word in your ear, sir," said the old man in a hurried whisper. "I have been rendered uneasy by what you said the other night, and can only plead that I have done all for the best-that it is too late to retract, if I could (though I cannot)—and that I hope to triumph yet. All is for her sake. I have borne great poverty myself, and would spare her the sufferings that poverty carries with it. I would spare her the miseries that "And so, neighbour," he added, "I'll turn my face brought her mother, my own dear child, to an early homewards, leaving my dove for Nelly, and hoping she grave. I would leave her-not with resources which may never lose her way again, though her doing so has could be easily spent or squandered away, but with what procured me an honour I didn't expect." With that he would place her beyond the reach of want for ever. You bowed and leered at me, and with a keen glance around mark me, sir? She shall have no pittance, but fortune which seemed to comprehend every object within his-hush! I can say no more than that, now or at any range of vision, however small or trivial, went his way. I had several times essayed to go myself, but the old man had always opposed it and entreated me to remain. As he renewed his entreaties on our being left alone, and adverted with my thanks to the former occasion of our being together, I willingly yielded to his persuasions, and sat down, pretending to examine some curious miniatures and a few old medals which he placed before me. It needed no great pressing to induce me to stay, for if my curiosity had been excited on the occasion of my first visit, it certainly was not diminished now.

Nell joined us before long, and bringing some needlework to the table, sat by the old man's side. It was pleasant to observe the fresh flowers in the room, the pet bird with a green bough shading his little cage, the breath of freshness and youth which seemed to rustle through the old dull house and hover round the child. It was curious, but not so pleasant, to turn from the beauty and grace of the girl, to the stooping figure, careworn face, and jaded aspect of the old man. As he grew weaker and more feeble, what would become of this lonely little creature-poor protector as he was-say that he died-what would her fate be then?

The old man almost answered my thoughts, as he laid his hand on hers, and spoke aloud.

"I'll be of better cheer, Nell," he said; "there must be good fortune in store for thee-I do not ask it for myself, but thee. Such miseries must fall on thy innocent

other time, and she is here again!"

The eagerness with which all this was poured into my ear, the trembling of the hand with which he clasped my arm, the strained and starting eyes he fixed upon me, the wild vehemence and agitation of his manner, filled me with amazement. All that I had heard and seen, and a great part of what he said himself, led me to suppose he was a wealthy man. I could form no comprehension of his character, unless he were one of those miserable wretches who have made gain the sole end and object of their lives, and having succeeded in amassing great riches, are constantly tortured by the dread of poverty, and beset by fears of loss and ruin. Many things he had said, which I had been at a loss to understand, were quite reconcileable with the idea thus presented to me, and at length I concluded that beyond all doubt he was one of this unhappy race.

The opinion was not the result of hasty consideration, for which indeed there was no opportunity at that time, as the child came back directly, and soon occupied herself in preparations for giving Kit a writing lesson, of which it seemed he had a couple every week, and one regularly on that evening, to the great mirth and enjoyment both of himself and his instructress. To relate how it was a long time before his modesty could be so far prevailed upon as to admit of his sitting down in the parlour, in the presence of an unknown gentleman-how when he did sit down he tucked up his sleeves and