.

'Ah,' said Mr. John Smauker, 'you disliked the killibeate taste,
perhaps?'

'I don't know much about that 'ere,' said Sam. 'I thought they'd a wery
strong flavour o' warm flat irons.'

'That IS the killibeate, Mr. Weller,' observed Mr. John Smauker
contemptuously.

'Well, if it is, it's a wery inexpressive word, that's all,' said Sam.
'It may be, but I ain't much in the chimical line myself, so I can't
say.' And here, to the great horror of Mr. John Smauker, Sam Weller
began to whistle.

'I beg your pardon, Mr. Weller,' said Mr. John Smauker, agonised at the
exceeding ungenteel sound, 'will you take my arm?'

'Thank'ee, you're wery good, but I won't deprive you of it,' replied
Sam. 'I've rayther a way o' putting my hands in my pockets, if it's all
the same to you.' As Sam said this, he suited the action to the word,
and whistled far louder than before.

'This way,' said his new friend, apparently much relieved as they turned
down a by-street; 'we shall soon be there.'

'Shall we?' said Sam, quite unmoved by the announcement of his close
vicinity to the select footmen of Bath.

'Yes,' said Mr. John Smauker. 'Don't be alarmed, Mr. Weller.'

'Oh, no,' said Sam.

'You'll see some very handsome uniforms, Mr. Weller,' continued Mr. John
Smauker; 'and perhaps you'll find some of the gentlemen rather high at
first, you know, but they'll soon come round.'

'That's wery kind on 'em,' replied Sam. 'And you know,' resumed Mr.
John Smauker, with an air of sublime protection--'you know, as you're a
stranger, perhaps, they'll be rather hard upon you at first.'

'They won't be wery cruel, though, will they?' inquired Sam.

'No, no,' replied Mr. John Smauker, pulling forth the fox's head, and
taking a gentlemanly pinch. 'There are some funny dogs among us, and
they will have their joke, you know; but you mustn't mind 'em, you
mustn't mind 'em.'

'I'll try and bear up agin such a reg'lar knock down o' talent,' replied
Sam.

'That's right,' said Mr. John Smauker, putting forth his fox's head, and
elevating his own; 'I'll stand by you.'

By this time they had reached a small greengrocer's shop, which Mr. John
Smauker entered, followed by Sam, who, the moment he got behind him,
relapsed into a series of the very broadest and most unmitigated grins,
and manifested other demonstrations of being in a highly enviable state
of inward merriment.

Crossing the greengrocer's shop, and putting their hats on the stairs in