Sam. Wery good, my lord. Buzfuz. Do you recollect anything particular happening on the morning when you were first engaged by the defendant? Eh! Mr. Weller? Sam. Yes, I do, sir. Buzfuz. Have the goodness to tell the jury what it was. Sam. I had a reg'lar new fit-out o' clothes that ere morning, gen'l'men o' the jury, and that wur a wery partic❜lar and uncommon circumstance with me in those days. Judge. You had better be careful, sir. Sam. So Mr. Pickwick said at the time, my lord: and I wur wery careful o' that ere suit of clothes,-wery careful indeed, my lord. Do you mean to Buzfuz. tell me, Mr. Weller―eh— do you mean to tell me, Mr. Weller, that you saw nothing of this fainting on the part of the plaintiff in the arms of the defendant, which you have heard described by the witnesses? Sam. Certainly not. I was in the passage till they called me up, and then the old lady was not there. Buzfuz. Now attend, Mr. Weller. You were in the passage, and yet saw nothing of what was going forward. Have you a pair of eyes, Mr. Weller? Sam. Yes, I have a pair of eyes, and that's just it. If they wur a pair of patent, double, million, magnifyin' gas miscroscopes o' hextra power, p'raps I might be able to see thro' a flight o' stairs and a deal door; but bein' only eyes, you see, my wision's limited. Buzfuz. Now, Mr. Weller, I'll ask you a question on another point, if you please. Sam. If you please, sir. Buzfuz. Do you remember going up to Mrs. Bardell's house in November last? Sam. O yes, wery well. Buzfuz. O you do remember that, Mr. Weller; well, I thought we should bring you to something at last. Sam. I rayther thought that too, sir. Buzfuz. Well, I suppose you went up to have a talk about the trial-eh, Mr. Weller? Sam. I went up to pay the rent, but we did get a-talking about the trial. Buzfuz. O! you did get a-talking about the trial. Now what passed about the trial? Will you have the goodness to tell us, Mr. Weller? Sam. With all the pleasure in life, sir. After a few unimportant observations from the two wirtuous females as has been examined here to-day, the ladies gets into a wery great state o' admiration at the honourable conduct of Mr. Dodson and Fogg, them two gen'l'men as is sittin' near you now. Buzfuz. The attorneys for the plaintiff,-well, they spoke in high praise of the honourable conduct of Messrs. Dodson and Fogg, the attorneys for the plaintiff, did they? Sam. Yes; they said wot a wery gen'rous thing it wur o' them to have taken up the case on spec, and to charge nothin' at all for costs, unless they got 'em out o' Mr. Pickwick. Buzfuz to Judge. You are quite right, my lord. It is perfectly useless attempting to get any evidence through the impenetrable stupidity of this witness. I will not trouble the court by asking any more questions. Stand down, sir (to Sam). Sam. Would any other gen'l'man like to ask me anything? DICKENS. CLVIII. SIR PETER AND LADY TEAZLE. Sir Peter. Lady Teazle, Lady Teazle, I won't bear it. Lady Teazle. Very well, Sir Peter, you may bear it or not, just as you please; but I know I ought to have my own way in everything; and, what's more, I will. Sir Peter. What, madam! is there no respect due to the authority of a husband? Lady Teazle. Why, don't I know that no woman of fashion does as she's bid after her marriage? Though I was bred in the country, I'm no stranger to that. If you wanted me to be obedient, you should have adopted me, and not married me— I'm sure you were old enough. Sir Peter. Ay, there it is-madam, what right have you to run into all this extravagance? Lady Teazle. I'm sure I'm not more extravagant than a woman of quality ought to be. Sir Peter. Madam, I'll have no more sums squandered away upon such unmeaning luxuries; you have as many flowers in your dressing-rooms as would turn the Pantheon into a greenhouse. Lady Teazle. La, Sir Peter, am I to blame that flowers don't blow in cold weather? You must blame the climate, and not me. I'm sure, for my part, I wish it were spring all the year round, and that roses grew under our feet. Sir Peter. Madam, I should not wonder at your extravaif you had been bred to it. Had you any of these things before you married me? gance |