THE PICKWICK CLUB. 293
noisy, without the tears. Then came the dessert and sotne more toasts. Then came the tea and coffee ; and then, the ball.
The best sitting room at Manor Farm was a good, long-, dark- pannelled room with a high chimney piece, and a capacious chimney, up which you could have driven one of the new patent cabs, wheels and all. At the upper end of the room, seated in a shady bower of hoily and evergreens, were the two best fiddlers, and the only harp, in all Muggleton. In all sorts of recesses, and on all kinds of brackets, stood massive old silver candlesticks with four branches each. The carpet was up, the candles burnt bright, the fire blazed and crackled on the hearth ; and merry voices and light-hearted laughter rang through the room. If any of the old English yeomen had turned into fairies when they died, it was just the place in which they would have held their revels.
If any thing could have added to the interest of this agreeable scene, it would have been the remarkable fact of Mr. Pickwick's appearing without his gaiters, for the first time within the memory of his oldest friends.
- You mean to dance ? " said Wardle.
" Of course I do," replied Mr. Pickwick, *' Don't you see 1 am dressed for the purpose ? " and Mr. Pickwick called attention to his »8peckled silk stockings, and smartly tied pumps.
" You in silk stockings ! " exclaimed Mr. Tupman jocosely.
" And why not Sir — -why not ? " said Mr. Pickwick, turning warmly upon him.
" Oh, of course there is no reason why you shouldn't wear them," responded Mr. Tupman.
" I imagine not Sir-^I imagine not," said Mr. Pickwick in a very- peremptory tone.
Mr. Tupman had contemplated a laugh, but he found it was a serious matter ; so he looked grave, and said they were a very pretty pattern.
" I hope they are," said Mr. Pickwick fixing his eyes upon his friend. " You see nothing extraordinary in these stockings, as stockings, I trust Sir?"
" Certainly not — oh certainly not/' replied Mr. Tupman. He walked away ; and Mr. Pickwick's countenance resumed its customary benign expression.
" We are all ready, I believe," said Mr. Pickwick, who was stationed with the old lady at the top of the dance, and had already made four false starts, in his excessive anxiety to commence.
" Then begin at once," said Wardle. " Now."
Up struck the two fiddles and the one harp, and off went Mr. Pick- wick into hands across, when there was a general clapping of hand^, and a cry of " Stop, stop."
" What's the matter ! " said Mr. Pickwick, who was only brought to, by the fiddles and harp desisting, and could have been stopped by no other earthly power, if the house had been on fire.
- Where's Arabella Allen ? " said a dozen voices.
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