easy
one. Arabella's brother went fast asleep in the parlor while they
waited, and when Bob Sawyer pinched him, as the old gentleman entered,
he awoke with a shriek without the least idea where he was.

This was most embarrassing to Mr. Pickwick, but he said all he could for
Winkle. The old gentleman, however, would send no message to his son,
and Mr. Pickwick and Sam Weller returned with disappointment.

In London Sam found a letter awaiting him from his father. His
mother-in-law was dead and the public house and its earnings were now
the old stage-driver's. Sam went to see old Tony and found him
terrified. All the widows in town were setting their caps for him and he
was afraid one of them would succeed in marrying him. He had determined
to sell out the business, give the money to Mr. Pickwick to invest for
him, and keep to stage-driving so as to be safe.

While Sam sat with his father talking matters over, the red-nosed
preacher came sidling in to inquire whether Mrs. Weller's will had not
left some money for him. He felt so much at home that he went to the
cupboard and poured himself out a big tumbler of his favorite pineapple
rum. This was more than old Tony Weller could stand. He fell upon the
old hypocrite, kicked him through the door and ducked him in the horse
trough.

Mr. Pickwick, meanwhile, had been arranging to buy the release of Jingle
and Job Trotter, and to send them to the West Indies, where they might
have a chance to make an honest living. While he was attending to this
at his lawyer's, a prolonged knock came at the door. It was Joe, Mr.
Wardle's fat boy, erect, but gone fast asleep between his knocks.

Mr. Wardle came up from his carriage, delighted to see his old friend,
of whose imprisonment he had just heard. He told Mr. Pickwick that his
daughter Emily had fallen in love with Snodgrass, and that, discovering
it, he had brought her to London to ask the advice of Mr. Pickwick in
the matter. While they talked he sent the fat boy back to the inn to
tell Emily that Mr. Pickwick would dine there with them.

The fat boy went on this errand, and coming suddenly into the inn
sitting-room, discovered Emily, with her waist encircled with
Snodgrass's arm while Arabella and her pretty housemaid were obligingly
looking out of the window. There was but one thing to do: they bribed
the fat boy not to tell!

Snodgrass, unluckily, stayed too long. As he was leaving, he heard Mr.
Wardle, with Mr. Pickwick