itherfield called to depose
to Mr. Pickwick's midnight invasion. Mr. Pickwick himself might have
been called and put on the rack, this incident not concerning his breach
of promise. And supposing that the ubiquitous Jingle had heard of this
business and had gone to the solicitor's office to volunteer evidence,
and most useful evidence it would have been--to wit that Mr. Pickwick had
been caught in the garden of a young ladies' school and had alarmed the
house by his attempts to gain admission in the small hours! Jingle of
course, could not be permitted to testify to this, but he could put the
firm on the track. Mr. Pickwick's reputation could hardly have survived
these two revelations, and sweeping damages to the full amount would have
been the certain result.

This extraordinary adventure of Mr. Pickwick's at the Great White Horse
Inn, Ipswich, verifies Dodson's casual remark to him, that "he was either
a very designing or a most unfortunate man," circumstances being so
strong against him. As the story was brought out, in open court, owing
to the joint indiscretion of Phunky and Winkle, it will be best, in
justice to Mr. Pickwick, to give practically his account of the affair.

'Nobody sleeps in the other bed, of course,' said Mr. Pickwick.

'Oh no, sir.'

'Very good. Tell my servant to bring me up some hot water at
half-past eight in the morning, and that I shall not want him any
more to-night.'

'Yes, sir.'

And bidding Mr. Pickwick good-night, the chambermaid retired, and
left him alone.

Mr. Pickwick sat himself down in a chair before the fire, and fell
into a train of rambling meditations. First he thought of his
friends, and wondered when they would join him; _then his mind
reverted to Mrs. Martha Bardell_; and from that lady it wandered, by
a natural process, to the dingy counting-house of Dodson and Fogg.
From Dodson and Fogg's it flew off at tangent, to the very centre of
the history of the queer client; and then it came back to the Great
White Horse at Ipswich, with sufficient clearness to convince Mr.
Pickwick that he was falling asleep: so he aroused himself, and began
to undress, when he recollected he had left his watch on the table
down stairs. So as it was pretty late now, and he was unwilling to
ring his bell at that hour of the night, he slipped on his coat, of
which he had just divested himself, and ta