on) seldom approached the ornamental
piece of water in Kensington Gardens,' without a vague expectation of
seeing Master Briggs's hat floating on the surface, and an unfinished
exercise lying on the bank. Briggs, therefore, was not at all sanguine
on the subject of holidays; and these two sharers of little Paul's
bedroom were so fair a sample of the young gentlemen in general, that
the most elastic among them contemplated the arrival of those festive
periods with genteel resignation.

It was far otherwise with little Paul. The end of these first holidays
was to witness his separation from Florence, but who ever looked forward
to the end of holidays whose beginning was not yet come! Not Paul,
assuredly. As the happy time drew near, the lions and tigers climbing up
the bedroom walls became quite tame and frolicsome. The grim sly faces
in the squares and diamonds of the floor-cloth, relaxed and peeped out
at him with less wicked eyes. The grave old clock had more of personal
interest in the tone of its formal inquiry; and the restless sea went
rolling on all night, to the sounding of a melancholy strain--yet it was
pleasant too--that rose and fell with the waves, and rocked him, as it
were, to sleep.

Mr Feeder, B.A., seemed to think that he, too, would enjoy the holidays
very much. Mr Toots projected a life of holidays from that time forth;
for, as he regularly informed Paul every day, it was his 'last half' at
Doctor Blimber's, and he was going to begin to come into his property
directly.

It was perfectly understood between Paul and Mr Toots, that they were
intimate friends, notwithstanding their distance in point of years and
station. As the vacation approached, and Mr Toots breathed harder and
stared oftener in Paul's society, than he had done before, Paul knew
that he meant he was sorry they were going to lose sight of each other,
and felt very much obliged to him for his patronage and good opinion.

It was even understood by Doctor Blimber, Mrs Blimber, and Miss Blimber,
as well as by the young gentlemen in general, that Toots had somehow
constituted himself protector and guardian of Dombey, and the
circumstance became so notorious, even to Mrs Pipchin, that the good old
creature cherished feelings of bitterness and jealousy against Toots;
and, in the sanctuary of her own home, repeatedly denounced him as a
'chuckle-headed noodle.' Whereas the innocent Toots had no more idea
of awakening Mrs Pipchin's wrath, tha