, with a slight scream, hid her face in her hands. She was
none other than the owner of the room into which Mr. Pickwick had
intruded the night before.

Mr. Peter Magnus, in astonishment, demanded where and when they had seen
each other before. This the lady declared she would not reveal for the
world, and Mr. Pickwick likewise refusing, the other flew into a jealous
rage, which ended in his rushing from the room swearing he would
challenge Mr. Pickwick to mortal combat. Tupman, Winkle and Snodgrass
being announced at that moment, Mr. Pickwick joined them, and the
middle-aged lady was left alone in a state of terrible alarm.

The longer she thought the more terrified she became at the idea of
possible bloodshed and harm to her lover. At length, overcome by dread,
and knowing no other way to stop the duel, she hastened to the house of
the mayor of the town, a pompous magistrate named Nupkins, and begged
him to stop the duel. Not wishing to make trouble for Mr. Peter Magnus,
she declared that the two rioters who threatened to disturb the peace of
the town were named Pickwick and Tupman; these two, Nupkins, thinking
them cutthroats from London, at once sent men to arrest.

Mr. Pickwick was just telling his followers the story of his mishap of
the night before, when a half-dozen officers burst into the room.
Boiling with indignation, Mr. Pickwick had to submit, and the officers
put him and Tupman into an old sedan-chair and carried them off,
followed by Winkle and Snodgrass and by all the town loafers.

Sam Weller met the procession and tried to rescue them, but was knocked
down and taken prisoner also. So they were all brought to Nupkins's
house.

The mayor refused to hear a word Mr. Pickwick said and was about to send
them all to jail as desperate characters when Sam Weller called his
master aside and whispered to him that the house they were in was the
very one from which he had seen Job Trotter come, and from this fact he
guessed that Jingle himself had wormed himself into the good graces of
the mayor. At this Mr. Pickwick asked to have a private talk with
Nupkins.

This was grudgingly granted and in a few moments Mr. Pickwick had
learned that Jingle, calling himself "Captain Fitz-Marshall," had
imposed so well on the pompous mayor that the latter's wife and daughter
had introduced him everywhere and he himself had boasted to everybody of
his acquaintance.

It was Nupkins's turn to feel humble when Mr. Pickwick