'Wy, I'd rayther not let myself down to ask a favour o' this here
unremorseful enemy.'

'But it is no favour asking him to take his money, Sam,' reasoned Mr.
Pickwick.

'Beg your pardon, sir,' rejoined Sam, 'but it 'ud be a wery great favour
to pay it, and he don't deserve none; that's where it is, sir.'

Here Mr. Pickwick, rubbing his nose with an air of some vexation, Mr.
Weller thought it prudent to change the theme of the discourse.

'I takes my determination on principle, Sir,' remarked Sam, 'and you
takes yours on the same ground; wich puts me in mind o' the man as
killed his-self on principle, wich o' course you've heerd on, Sir.' Mr.
Weller paused when he arrived at this point, and cast a comical look at
his master out of the corners of his eyes.

'There is no "of course" in the case, Sam,' said Mr. Pickwick, gradually
breaking into a smile, in spite of the uneasiness which Sam's obstinacy
had given him. 'The fame of the gentleman in question, never reached my
ears.'

'No, sir!' exclaimed Mr. Weller. 'You astonish me, Sir; he wos a clerk
in a gov'ment office, sir.'

'Was he?' said Mr. Pickwick.

'Yes, he wos, Sir,' rejoined Mr. Weller; 'and a wery pleasant gen'l'm'n
too--one o' the precise and tidy sort, as puts their feet in little
India-rubber fire-buckets wen it's wet weather, and never has no other
bosom friends but hare-skins; he saved up his money on principle, wore a
clean shirt ev'ry day on principle; never spoke to none of his relations
on principle, 'fear they shou'd want to borrow money of him; and wos
altogether, in fact, an uncommon agreeable character. He had his hair
cut on principle vunce a fortnight, and contracted for his clothes on
the economic principle--three suits a year, and send back the old uns.
Being a wery reg'lar gen'l'm'n, he din'd ev'ry day at the same place,
where it was one-and-nine to cut off the joint, and a wery good
one-and-nine's worth he used to cut, as the landlord often said, with
the tears a-tricklin' down his face, let alone the way he used to
poke the fire in the vinter time, which wos a dead loss o' four-pence
ha'penny a day, to say nothin' at all o' the aggrawation o' seein' him
do it. So uncommon grand with it too! "POST arter the next gen'l'm'n,"
he sings out ev'ry day ven he comes in. "See arter the TIMES, Thomas;
let me look at the MORNIN' HERALD, when it's out o' hand; don't forget
to bespeak the CHRONICLE; and just bring the 'TIZER, vill you:" and t