The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 58: what you’re looking at

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

ROP AA B46 2 por. @ THE STEAM PACKET. 33 ““1 wasn't aweer, sir, that I’d insinivated anythin’ at all relative to that there partickler subject,” answered Tom doggedly. ““Ok! I recollect—you forgot to answer my question,” continued Mr. Pifpaf, still turning the letter over and over in his hand. “I asked you where Captain Pentonville resides.” “Ah! he’s a wery nice man, sir—a wery nice man,” said Tom, shaking his head solemnly: “there ain’t a nicer gen’leman as walks on two legs in all London.” “‘T know he is—a very nice gentleman—an excellent gentleman,” said Mr. Pifpaf. ‘‘ But his residence, my good fellow—his abode? I must know that, in order to make a little memorandum—merely a matter of form——” | ““'Wery good, sir; I’ll tell master what you pleased to say, sir,” observed Tom. ‘‘ What street is his residence in ?”’ inquired Mr. Pifpaf point-blank. *¢ Jist over there—not wery far off in that there direction,” replied Mr. Gibbins, describing with his right arm an are which embraced half the points in the compass, and left Mr. Pifpaf in a complete state of ignorance as to the whereabout of the captain. _©Yes—but the name of the street 2”’ said the chairman of the Luminaries. ‘“<T’m raly a wery bad hand at names, sir,” answered Tom. ‘‘Some- times I actiwally forgets my own—unless any body says, ‘ ‘Tom, here’s a shilling for ye.’” | : ‘* Well, Tom, go into the tap-room and get a pint of beer: you can wait a few minutes until my return. I must just step home; but I shan’t keep you waiting long ; ’—and Mr. Pifpaf, who did not like to press the question concerning the captain’s abode any farther, and who imagined that Mr. Thomas Gibbins was a most incomprehensible young man, repaired to his own residence. He there took the sum of eighty pounds, in bank notes, from his strong-box, enclosed them in a piece of paper, addressed the letter to Captain Pentonville, and then returned to the public-house. ees But as he was retracing his ‘steps towards the Musical Bee, an in- definable sentiment of curiosity prompted him to take that opportunity of obtaining an introduction to Lord Noodleton. Not that he sus- pected the captain’s story for one moment ;—but he was actuated by one of those impulses which even great men like himself are sometimes constrained to obey. He chuckled within himself at the resolution which henow adopted, and thought ‘‘ how surprised Pentonville would be to see him.” He, however, preserved a serious countenance as he gave the letter to Tom Gibbins, accompanied with a shilling for | i | VOOKSTEO Af) (@(0) mil e