The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 237: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

180 THE STEAM PACKET. think that if I give you in charge to that gendarme who is now cross- ing the market-place, I shall be taking the first step towards making that discovery.” * Me, sir—give me in charge!” ejaculated Mr. Dakins, whose face grew white and then livid above his “‘ bird’s-eye fogle,” as he himself was in the habit of styling his neckerchief. ‘‘“Yes—you, sir,” added Mr. Pifpaf firmly—“ as a confederate of thieves, if not if ‘There, Pifpaf—no hard words—no hard words, my dear fellow—I can’t abide ’em,” said Mr. Dakins, laying his right hand on Mr. Pifpaf’s left shoulder: ‘‘I must remind you that you were very much beside yourself with liquor, and that you took uncommon liberties with Mrs. Dakins, who is the most amiablest of women; and if I had acted as I ought to have done, I should have let your wife and daughters know how you conducted yourself—for you told me that you had a wife and daughters with you.” . ‘¢ My dear sir,”’ said Mr. Pifpaf, now alarmed in his turn ; ‘‘ you don’t mean to say that I misconducted myself ‘“‘T mean to say that you insisted upon kissing Mrs. Dakins, and that we were obliged to put you out of the room; so that if you got robbed in the street, it was nobody’s fault but your own ;—for a more honourable man than Nagle doesn’t exist—and a better fellow, though — I say it who shouldn’t, than Phil Dakins doesn’t breathe.” Well, upon my word,”’ began Mr. Pifpaf, now looking consider- ably crest-fallen, and thinking that some apology was necessary; “‘ I am really i ‘‘Not another word! Let us be friends,” said Mr. Dakins. “ My wife esteems you: she says you are a very amiable man, only you mustn’t attempt to kiss her—she can’t abear that from no one but me. But what wall you take to drink 2?” And thus, after the invariable and truly refined Panton of English- men, Mr. Pifpaf and Mr. Dakins adjourned to the nearest café, where they buried all ill feeling in cold brandy-and-water. Mr. Dakins then shook hands with the chairman of the Luminaries, and went his way ; while the chairman himself returned to Mr. Smale and Mr. Bambross, with a mysterious perplexity upon his countenance, and a stubborn deafness to all inquiries concerning the nature of his business with the gentleman from whom he had just parted. Mr. Smale accordingly made up his mind that this reserve was connected with Mr. Dakins’s secret mission respecting the Royal “‘ Hot Joints from One to Five Daily” Company ; and the circumstance therefore tended to com all that Mr. Buckram had already told him. Gomicbooks co