of him for the moment, 'may be true, and may be false.
Whichever it is, I dare say I'm no worse than other men.'

'Not a bit,' said Tigg. 'Not a bit. We're all alike--or nearly so.'

'I want to know this,' Jonas went on to say; 'is it your own? You'll not
wonder at my asking the question.'

'My own!' repeated Montague.

'Aye!' returned the other, gruffly. 'Is it known to anybody else? Come!
Don't waver about that.'

'No!' said Montague, without the smallest hesitation. 'What would it be
worth, do you think, unless I had the keeping of it?'

Now, for the first time, Jonas looked at him. After a pause, he put out
his hand, and said, with a laugh:

'Come! make things easy to me, and I'm yours. I don't know that I may
not be better off here, after all, than if I had gone away this morning.
But here I am, and here I'll stay now. Take your oath!'

He cleared his throat, for he was speaking hoarsely and said in a
lighter tone:

'Shall I go to Pecksniff? When? Say when!'

'Immediately!' cried Montague. 'He cannot be enticed too soon.'

'Ecod!' cried Jonas, with a wild laugh. 'There's some fun in catching
that old hypocrite. I hate him. Shall I go to-night?'

'Aye! This,' said Montague, ecstatically, 'is like business! We
understand each other now! To-night, my good fellow, by all means.'

'Come with me,' cried Jonas. 'We must make a dash; go down in state, and
carry documents, for he's a deep file to deal with, and must be drawn
on with an artful hand, or he'll not follow. I know him. As I can't
take your lodgings or your dinners down, I must take you. Will you come
to-night?'

His friend appeared to hesitate; and neither to have anticipated this
proposal, nor to relish it very much.

'We can concert our plans upon the road,' said Jonas. 'We must not go
direct to him, but cross over from some other place, and turn out of our
way to see him. I may not want to introduce you, but I must have you on
the spot. I know the man, I tell you.'

'But what if the man knows me?' said Montague, shrugging his shoulders.

'He know!' cried Jonas. 'Don't you run that risk with fifty men a day!
Would your father know you? Did I know you? Ecod! You were another
figure when I saw you first. Ha, ha, ha! I see the rents and patches
now! No false hair then, no black dye! You were another sort of joker
in those days, you were! You even spoke different then. You've acted
the gentleman so seriously since, that you've taken in yourself