If you have any opportunity of recommending me to any of your friends, gentlemen, I shall be very much obliged to you, and so will they too, when they come to know me.Your healths, gentlemen."With this expression of his feelings, Mr.Solomon Pell laid three small written cards before Mr.Weller's friends, and, looking at the clock again, feared it was time to be walking.Upon this hint Mr.Weller settled the bill, and, issuing forth, the executor, legatee, attorney, and umpires, directed their steps towards the City.
The office of Wilkins Flasher, Esquire, of the Stock Exchange, was in a first floor up a court behind the Bank of England; the house of Wilkins Flasher, Esquire, was at Brixton, Surrey; the horse and stanhope of Wilkins Flasher, Esquire, were at an adjacent livery stable; the groom of Wilkins Flasher, Esquire, was on his way to the West End to deliver some game;the clerk of Wilkins Flasher, Esquire, had gone to his dinner; and so Wilkins Flasher, Esquire, himself, cried, "Come in," when Mr.Pell and his companions knocked at the counting-house door.
"Good morning, sir," said Pell, bowing obsequiously."We want to make a little transfer, if you please.""Oh, come in, will you?" said Mr.Flasher."Sit down a minute; I'll attend to you directly.""Thank you, sir," said Pell, "there's no hurry.Take a chair, Mr.Weller."Mr.Weller took a chair, and Sam took a box, and the umpires took what they could get, and looked at the almanack and one or two papers which were wafered against the wall, with as much open-eyed reverence as if they had been the finest efforts of the old masters.
"Well, I'll bet you half a dozen of claret on it; come!" said Wilkins Flasher, Esquire, resuming the conversation to which Mr.Pell's entrance had caused a momentary interruption.
This was addressed to a very smart young gentleman who wore his hat on his right whisker, and was lounging over the desk, killing flies with a ruler.Wilkins Flasher, Esquire, was balancing himself on two legs of an office stool, spearing a wafer-box with a pen-knife, which he dropped every now and then with great dexterity into the very centre of a small red wafer that was stuck outside.Both gentlemen had very open waistcoats and very rolling collars, and very small boots, and very big rings, and very little watches, and very large guard-chains, and symmetrical inexpressibles, and scented pocket-handkerchiefs.
"I never bet half a dozen," said the other gentleman."I'll take a dozen.""Done, Simmery, done!" said Wilkins Flasher, Esquire.
"P.P., mind," observed the other.
"Of course," replied Wilkins Flasher, Esquire.Wilkins Flasher, Esquire, entered it in a little book, with a gold pencil-case, and the other gentleman entered it also, in another little book with another gold pencil-case.
"I see there's a notice up this morning about Boffer," observed Mr.
Simmery."Poor devil, he's expelled the house!""I'll bet you ten guineas to five, he cuts his throat," said Wilkins Flasher, Esquire.
"Done," replied Mr.Simmery.
"Stop! I bar," said Wilkins Flasher, Esquire, thoughtfully."Perhaps he may hang himself.""Very good," rejoined Mr.Simmery, pulling out the gold pencil-case again."I've no objection to take you that way.Say, makes away with himself.""Kills himself, in fact," said Wilkins Flasher, Esquire.
"Just so," replied Mr.Simmery, putting it down.
"`Flasher--ten guineas to five, Boffer kills himself.' Within what time shall we say?""A fortnight?" suggested Wilkins Flasher, Esquire.
"Con-found it, no;" rejoined Mr.Simmery, stopping for an instant to smash a fly with the ruler."Say a week.""Split the difference," said Wilkins Flasher, Esquire."Make it ten days.""Well; ten days," rejoined Mr.Simmery.
So, it was entered down in the little books that Boffer was to kill himself within ten days, or Wilkins Flasher, Esquire, was to hand over to Frank Simmery, Esquire, the sum of ten guineas; and that if Boffer did kill himself within that time, Frank Simmery, Esquire, would pay to Wilkins Flasher, Esquire, five guineas, instead.
"I'm very sorry he has failed," said Wilkins Flasher, Esquire."Capital dinners he gave.""Fine port he had too," remarked Mr.Simmery."We are going to send our butler to the sale to-morrow, to pick up some of that sixty-four.""The devil you are," said Wilkins Flasher, Esquire."My man's going too.Five guineas my man outbids your man.""Done."
Another entry was made in the little books, with the gold pencil-cases;and Mr.Simmery having, by this time, killed all the flies and taken all the bets, strolled away to the Stock Exchange to see what was going forward.