194 POSTHUMOUS PAPERS OF
" Beer in this one," replied the boy, taking- from his shoulder a couple of larg-e stone bottles, fastened tO;£;ether bv a leathern strap—" cold punch in t'other." " ^^'.
" And a wery good notion of a lunch it is, take it altogetheri'^^Vatd Mr. Weller, surveying- his arrangement of the repast with great satis- faction. " Now, genTmen, ' fall on,' as the English said to the French when they fixed bagginets."
It needed no second invitation to induce the party to yield full justice to the meal ; and as little pressing did it require, to induce Mr. Weller, the long gamekeeper, and the two boys, to station themselves on the grass at a little distance, and do good execution upon a decent propor- tion of the viands. An old oak tree afforded a pleasant shelter to the group, and a rich prospect of arable and meadow land, intersected with luxuriant hedges, and richly ornamented with wood> lay spread out below them.
" This is delightful — thoroughly delightful I '* said Mr. Pickwick, the skin of whose expressive countenance, was rapidly peeling off, with exposure to the sun.
- ^ So it is — so it is, old fellow," replied Wardle. '* Come ; a glass of
punch."
" With great pleasure," said Mr. Pickwick ; and the satisfaction of his countenance after drinking it, bore testimony to the sincerity of the reply.
" Good," said Mr. Pickwick, smacking his lips. " Very good. I'll oake another. Cool ; very cool. Come, gentlemen," continued Mr. Pickwick, still retaining his hold upon the jar, " a toast. Our friends at Dingley Dell."
The toast was drunk with loud acclamations.
- ' I'll tell you what I shall do, to get up my shooting again," said
Mr. Winkle, who was eating bread and ham with a pocket-knife. *' I'll put a stuffed partridge on the top of a post, and practise at it, beginning at a short distance, and lengthening it by degrees. I understand it's capital practice."
- ' I know a genTman, Sir," said Mr. Weller, " as did that, and begun
at two yards ; but he never tried it on agin ; for he blowed the bird right clean away at the first fire, and nobody ever seed a feather on him arterwards."
" Sam," said Mr. Pickwick.
Sir," replied Mr. Weller.
" Have the goodness to reserve your anecdotes, 'till they are called for."
" Cert'nly, Sir.
Here Mr. W^eller winked the eye which was not concealed by the beer-can he was raising to his lips, with such exquisite facetiousness, that the two boys went into spontaneous convulsions, and even the long man condescended to smile.
" Well, that certainly is most capital cold punch," said Mr. Pick- wick, looking earnestly at the stone bottle ; " and the day is extremely warm, and — Tupman, my dear friend^ a glass of punch ? "
