'That was a game, wasn't it?' said one of the gentlemen, in a brown coat
and brass buttons, inky drabs, and bluchers, at the conclusion of some
inaudible relation of his previous evening's adventures.

'Devilish good--devilish good,' said the Seidlitz-powder man. 'Tom
Cummins was in the chair,' said the man with the brown coat. 'It was
half-past four when I got to Somers Town, and then I was so uncommon
lushy, that I couldn't find the place where the latch-key went in, and
was obliged to knock up the old 'ooman. I say, I wonder what old Fogg
'ud say, if he knew it. I should get the sack, I s'pose--eh?'

At this humorous notion, all the clerks laughed in concert.

'There was such a game with Fogg here, this mornin',' said the man in
the brown coat, 'while Jack was upstairs sorting the papers, and you two
were gone to the stamp-office. Fogg was down here, opening the letters
when that chap as we issued the writ against at Camberwell, you know,
came in--what's his name again?'

'Ramsey,' said the clerk who had spoken to Mr. Pickwick.

'Ah, Ramsey--a precious seedy-looking customer. "Well, sir," says old
Fogg, looking at him very fierce--you know his way--"well, Sir, have you
come to settle?" "Yes, I have, sir," said Ramsey, putting his hand in
his pocket, and bringing out the money, "the debt's two pound ten, and
the costs three pound five, and here it is, Sir;" and he sighed like
bricks, as he lugged out the money, done up in a bit of blotting-paper.
Old Fogg looked first at the money, and then at him, and then he coughed
in his rum way, so that I knew something was coming. "You don't know
there's a declaration filed, which increases the costs materially, I
suppose," said Fogg. "You don't say that, sir," said Ramsey, starting
back; "the time was only out last night, Sir." "I do say it, though,"
said Fogg, "my clerk's just gone to file it. Hasn't Mr. Jackson gone
to file that declaration in Bullman and Ramsey, Mr. Wicks?" Of course I
said yes, and then Fogg coughed again, and looked at Ramsey. "My God!"
said Ramsey; "and here have I nearly driven myself mad, scraping this
money together, and all to no purpose." "None at all," said Fogg coolly;
"so you had better go back and scrape some more together, and bring it
here in time." "I can't get it, by God!" said Ramsey, striking the desk
with his fist. "Don't bully me, sir," said Fogg, getting into a passion
on purpose. "I am not bullying you, sir," said Ramsey. "You are,"