upon the lock of the door; in another
instant it would have been on the throat of Doctor Payne of the 43rd,
had not Mr. Snodgrass seized his revered leader by the coat tail, and
dragged him backwards.

'Restrain him,' cried Mr. Snodgrass; 'Winkle, Tupman--he must not peril
his distinguished life in such a cause as this.'

'Let me go,' said Mr. Pickwick.

'Hold him tight,' shouted Mr. Snodgrass; and by the united efforts of
the whole company, Mr. Pickwick was forced into an arm-chair. 'Leave
him alone,' said the green-coated stranger; 'brandy-and-water--jolly
old gentleman--lots of pluck--swallow this--ah!--capital stuff.' Having
previously tested the virtues of a bumper, which had been mixed by the
dismal man, the stranger applied the glass to Mr. Pickwick's mouth; and
the remainder of its contents rapidly disappeared.

There was a short pause; the brandy-and-water had done its work; the
amiable countenance of Mr. Pickwick was fast recovering its customary
expression.

'They are not worth your notice,' said the dismal man.

'You are right, sir,' replied Mr. Pickwick, 'they are not. I am ashamed
to have been betrayed into this warmth of feeling. Draw your chair up to
the table, Sir.'

The dismal man readily complied; a circle was again formed round the
table, and harmony once more prevailed. Some lingering irritability
appeared to find a resting-place in Mr. Winkle's bosom, occasioned
possibly by the temporary abstraction of his coat--though it is scarcely
reasonable to suppose that so slight a circumstance can have excited
even a passing feeling of anger in a Pickwickian's breast. With this
exception, their good-humour was completely restored; and the evening
concluded with the conviviality with which it had begun.

CHAPTER IV. A FIELD DAY AND BIVOUAC--MORE NEW FRIENDS--AN INVITATION TO
THE COUNTRY

Many authors entertain, not only a foolish, but a really dishonest
objection to acknowledge the sources whence they derive much valuable
information. We have no such feeling. We are merely endeavouring to
discharge, in an upright manner, the responsible duties of our editorial
functions; and whatever ambition we might have felt under other
circumstances to lay claim to the authorship of these adventures, a
regard for truth forbids us to do more than claim the merit of their
judicious arrangement and impartial narration. The Pickwick papers are
our New River Head; and we may be compared to the New River Comp