296 POSTHUMOUS PAPERS OF
branch of misletoe instantaneously gave rise to a scene of general and most delightful struggling and confusion ; in the midst of which Mr. Pickwick with a gallantry which would have done honour to a descen- dant of Lady Tollimglower herself, took the old lady by the hand, led her beneath the mystic branch, and saluted her in all courtesy and decorum. The old lady submitted to this piece of practical politeness with all the dignity which befitted so important and serious a solemnity, but the younger ladies not being so thoroughly imbued with a super- stitious veneration of the custom, or imagining that the value of a salute is very much enhanced if it cost a little trouble to obtain it, screamed and struggled, and ran into corners, and threatened and remonstrated, and did every thing but leave the room, until some of the less adven- turous gentlemen were on the point of desisting, when they all at once found it useless to resist any longer, and submitted to be kissed with a good grace. Mr. Winkle kissed the young lady with the black eyes, and Mr. Snodgrass kissed Emily; and Mr. Weller, not being particular about the form of being under the misletoe, kissed Emma and the other female servants, just as he caught them. As to the poor relations, they kissed everybody^ not even excepting the plainer portion of the young- lady visiters, who, in their excessive confusion, ran right under the misletoe, directly it was hung up, without knowing it ! Wardle stood with his back to the fire, surveying the whole scene? with the utmost satisfaction ; and the fat boy took the opportunity of appropriating to his own use, and sum.marily devouring, a particularly fine mince-pie, that had been carefully put by, for somebody else.
Now the screaming had subsided, and faces were in a glow and curls in a tangle, and Mr. Pickwick, after kissing the old lady as before-men- tioned, was standing under the misletoe, looking with a very pleased countenance on all that was passing around him, when the young lady with the black eyes, after a litti»>. whispering with the other young ladies, made a sudden dart forward, and, putting her arm round Mr. Pickwick's neck, saluted him affectionately on the left cheek ; and before Mr. Pick- wick distinctly knew what was the matter, he was surrounded by the whole body, and kissed by every one of them.
It was a pleasant thing to see Mr. Pickwick in the centre of the group, now pulled this way, and then that, and first kissed on tl^ chin and then on the nose, and then on the spectacles, and to hear the peals of laughter which were raised on every side ; but it was a still more pleasant thing to see Mr. Pickwick, blinded shortly afterwards with a silk-handkerchief, falling up against the wall, and scrambling into cor- ners, and going through all the mysteries of blindman's buff, with the utmost relish for the game, until at last he caught one of the poor relations;' and then had to evade the blind-man himself, which he did with a nimbleness and agility that elicited the admiration and fi applause of all beholders. The poor relations caught just the people whom they thought would like it ; and when the game flagged, got caughl themselves. When they were all tired of blind-man's buff, there was ». great game at snap-dragon, and when fingers enough were burned with that, and all the raisins gone, they sat down by the huge fire of blazing.
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