THE PICKWICK CLUB. 535
This advice quite coinciding with his own opinion, Mr. Pickwick gently let down the window and disengaged the bottle from the stick ; upon which the latter was drawn up, and Mr, Bob Sawyer was hear4 to laugh heartily.
" What a merry dog it is," said Mr. Pickwick, looking round at his companion with the bottle in his hand.
- ' He is," said Mr. Allen.
" You cannot possibly be angry with him," remarked Mr. Pickwick.
- ' Quite out of the question," observed Benjamin Allen.
During this short interchange of sentiments, Mr. Pickwick had, in an abstracted mood, uncorked the bottle.
'* What is it?" enquired Ben Allen, carelessly.
" I don't know," replied Mr. Pickwick, with equal carelessness. " It smells, I think, like milk punch."
- ^0h, indeed!" said Ben.
I thiJi/c so,*'* rejoined Mr. Pickwick, very properly guarding him- self against the possibility of stating an untruth : mind, I could not undertake to say for certain, without tasting it."
" You had better do so," said Ben ; "we may as well know what it is.
" Do you think so?" replied Mr. Pickwick. " Well, if you are curi- ous to know, of course I have no objection."
Ever willing to sacrifice his own feelings to the wishes of his friend, Mr. Pickwick at once took a pretty long taste.
" What is it ? enquired Ben Allen, interrupting him with some impatience.
" Curious," said Mr. Pickwick, smacking his lips, " I hardly know, now. Oh, yes," said Mr. Pickwick, after a second taste, "it «* punch."
Mr. Ben Allen looked at Mr. Pickwick ; Mr, Pickwick looked at Mr. Ben Allen. Mr. Ben Allen smiled ; Mr. Pickwick did not.
" It would serve him right," said the last-named gentleman with some severity, '* it would serve him right to drink it every drop."
" The very thing that occurred to me," said Ben Allen.
" Is it indeed ! " rejoined Mr. Pickwick. " Then here's his health." With these words, that excellent person took a most energetic pull at the bottle, and handed it to Ben Allen, who was not slow to imitate his example. Tiie smiles became mutual, and the milk-punch was gradually and cheerfully disposed of.
"After all," said iMr. Pickwick, as he drained the last drop, *'his pranks are really very amusing — very entertaining indeed."
" You may say that," rejoined Mr. Ben Allen. And in proof of Bob Sawyer's being one of the funniest fellows alive, he proceeded to entertain Mr. Pickwick with a long and circumstantial account how that gentleman once drank himself into a fever and got his head shaved ; the relation of which pleasant and agreeable history was only stopped by the stoppage of the chaise at the Bell at Berkeley Heath, to change horses.
- ' I say, we're going to dine here, aren't we ? " said Bob, looking in
at the window.
