il the night was far advanced.

Benjamin was supposed to be the real name of this young servant, but he
was known by a great variety of names. Benjamin, for instance, had been
converted into Uncle Ben, and that again had been corrupted into Uncle.
The gentlemen at Todgers' had a merry habit, too, of bestowing upon him,
for the time being, the name of any notorious criminal or minister; and
sometimes, when current events were flat, they even sought the pages of
history for these distinctions; as Mr. Pitt, Young Brownrigg, and the
like. At the period of which we write, he was generally known among the
gentlemen as Bailey junior; a name bestowed upon him in
contradistinction, perhaps, to the Old Bailey prison; and possibly as
involving the recollection of an unfortunate lady of the same name, who
perished by her own hand early in life, and has been made famous in a
song.

The usual Sunday dinner-hour at Todgers' was two o'clock--a suitable
time, it was considered, for all parties; convenient to Mrs. Todgers, on
account of the baker's; and convenient to the gentlemen, with reference
to their afternoon engagements. But on the Sunday which was to introduce
the two Misses Pecksniff to a full knowledge of Todgers' and its
society, the dinner was postponed until five, in order that everything
might be as genteel as the occasion demanded.

When the hour drew nigh, Bailey junior, testifying great excitement,
appeared in a complete suit of cast-off clothes several sizes too large
for him, and, in particular, mounted a clean shirt of such extraordinary
magnitude that one of the gentlemen (remarkable for his ready wit)
called him "collars" on the spot. At about a quarter before five a
deputation, consisting of Mr. Jinkins and another gentleman whose name
was Gander, knocked at the door of Mrs. Todgers' room, and, being
formally introduced to the two Misses Pecksniff by their parent, who was
in waiting, besought the honor of showing them up-stairs.

Here the gentlemen were all assembled. There was a general cry of "Hear,
hear!" and "Bravo, Jink!" when Mr. Jinkins appeared with Charity on his
arm: which became quite rapturous as Mr. Gander followed, escorting
Mercy, and Mr. Pecksniff brought up the rear with Mrs. Todgers.

"The wittles is up!"

FOOTNOTE:

[D] A "round-robin" is a letter signed by all the people of a company,
with the names written in a circle around the letter so that no name
will be first or last.

XI.