of it. Mrs.
Cluppins then resumed--

'I walked in, gentlemen, just to say good mornin', and went in a
permiscuous manner up-stairs, and into the back room. Gentlemen,
there was the sound of voices in the front room, and--'

'And you listened, I believe, Mrs. Cluppins,' said Serjeant Buzfuz.

'Beggin' your pardon, sir,' replied Mrs. Cluppins, in a majestic
manner, 'I would scorn the haction. The voices was very loud, sir,
and forced themselves upon my ear.'

'Well, Mrs. Cluppins, you were not listening, but you heard the
voices. Was one of those voices Mr. Pickwick's?'

'Yes, it were, sir.'

And Mrs. Cluppins, after distinctly stating that Mr. Pickwick
addressed himself to Mrs. Bardell, repeated by slow degrees, and by
dint of many questions the conversation with which our readers are
already acquainted.

Now we have to turn back to one of the earlier passages in the story for
the conversation between the pair, "with which the reader is already
acquainted." Thus we shall know what Mrs. Cluppin's might have heard.

Mr. Pickwick paced the room to and fro with hurried steps, popped his
head out of the window at intervals of about three minutes each,
constantly referred to his watch, and exhibited many other
manifestations of impatience, very unusual with him. It was evident
that something of great importance was in contemplation, but what
that something was not even Mrs. Bardell herself had been enabled to
discover.

'Mrs. Bardell,' said Mr. Pickwick at last, as that amiable female
approached the termination of a prolonged dusting of the apartment.

'Sir,' said Mrs. Bardell.

'Your little boy is a very long time gone.'

'Why, it's a good long way to the Borough, sir,' remonstrated Mrs.
Bardell.

'Ah,' said Pickwick, 'very true; so it is.'

Mr. Pickwick relapsed into silence, and Mrs. Bardell resumed her
dusting.

'Mrs. Bardell,' said Mr. Pickwick, at the expiration of a few
minutes.

'Sir,' said Mrs. Bardell again.

'Do you think it's a much greater expense to keep two people, than to
keep one?'

'La, Mr. Pickwick,' said Mrs. Bardell, colouring up to the very
border of her cap, as she fancied she observed a species of
matrimonial twinkle in the eyes of her lodger, 'La, Mr. Pickwick,
what a question!'

'Well, but _do_ you?' inquired