d interpose, Mr. Bob Sawyer gracefully struck his
colours, and having put them in his pocket, nodded in a courteous manner
to Mr. Pickwick, wiped the mouth of the case-bottle, and applied it to
his own, thereby informing him, without any unnecessary waste of words,
that he devoted that draught to wishing him all manner of happiness and
prosperity. Having done this, Bob replaced the cork with great care, and
looking benignantly down on Mr. Pickwick, took a large bite out of the
sandwich, and smiled.

'Come,' said Mr. Pickwick, whose momentary anger was not quite proof
against Bob's immovable self-possession, 'pray let us have no more of
this absurdity.'

'No, no,' replied Bob, once more exchanging hats with Mr. Weller; 'I
didn't mean to do it, only I got so enlivened with the ride that I
couldn't help it.'

'Think of the look of the thing,' expostulated Mr. Pickwick; 'have some
regard to appearances.'

'Oh, certainly,' said Bob, 'it's not the sort of thing at all. All over,
governor.'

Satisfied with this assurance, Mr. Pickwick once more drew his head
into the chaise and pulled up the glass; but he had scarcely resumed the
conversation which Mr. Bob Sawyer had interrupted, when he was somewhat
startled by the apparition of a small dark body, of an oblong form,
on the outside of the window, which gave sundry taps against it, as if
impatient of admission.

'What's this?'exclaimed Mr. Pickwick.

'It looks like a case-bottle;' remarked Ben Allen, eyeing the object in
question through his spectacles with some interest; 'I rather think it
belongs to Bob.'

The impression was perfectly accurate; for Mr. Bob Sawyer, having
attached the case-bottle to the end of the walking-stick, was battering
the window with it, in token of his wish, that his friends inside would
partake of its contents, in all good-fellowship and harmony.

'What's to be done?' said Mr. Pickwick, looking at the bottle. 'This
proceeding is more absurd than the other.'

'I think it would be best to take it in,' replied Mr. Ben Allen; 'it
would serve him right to take it in and keep it, wouldn't it?'

'It would,' said Mr. Pickwick; 'shall I?'

'I think it the most proper course we could possibly adopt,' replied
Ben.

This advice quite coinciding with his own opinion, Mr. Pickwick gently
let down the window and disengaged the bottle from the stick; upon which
the latter was drawn up, and Mr. Bob Sawyer was heard to laugh heartily.

'What a merry