able, natural
speech, which was greeted with tumults of applause, and was reported word
for word. Then we are told how Wardle proposed Mr. Pickwick; Mr.
Pickwick, the old lady; Snodgrass, Tupman, the poor relations, all had
their speeches; but there is not a single word of Trundle, who appears to
have been mumchance--no one wanted him. In his speech at the wedding,
the amiable Pickwick had, of course, to give the expected conventional
praises to Trundle. But how guarded he is! "God bless 'em," he says;
"my young friend I believe to be a very excellent and manly fellow." I
_believe_, _i.e._, he did not _know_ it. "Manly," we might question, for
in manliness he was deficient. We could hear the rustics below: "Squire
Trundle manly! he! he! not he!" But on the bride, Mr. Pickwick was
enthusiastic: "I _know_ her," he said, "to be a very, very amiable and
lovely girl; I admire, love, and esteem her." At the close he prayed
that Wardle's daughter "might enjoy all the happiness that even he could
desire." Not that he was sure of, but that he could desire. But
Trundle, the cypher, no one thought of him, no one cared about his
speech. Most likely, in his "nervousness," he mumbled forth some
indistinct words which no one could hear, so it was best and most
charitable to pass him by altogether in the report. At the dance at
night, where he surely would have led off the movements, still not a word
of him. And at last, "long before Mr. Pickwick was weary of dancing, the
newly-married pair had retired from the room." Mr. Lang fancies that
they had gone upstairs; but I imagine they repaired to their new home
close by. But then, with that minuteness which never fails Boz, we had
been told that they were not to go there till after the Christmas
holidays.

But, after all, one might be inclined to doubt this theory of the young
pair remaining at the house. For do we not find that on the next day,
which was Christmas day, when there was the going to Church, and the
skating and sliding, and Mr. Pickwick's immersion, there is no mention of
the happy pair? It looks as though they were at their own home.

After this, many events occurred. Mr. Pickwick was "tried" and
"conwicted," as old Weller has it; was sent to prison and released. On
his return from Birmingham we have some signs of Wardle and his family.
That gentleman was sorely disturbed by Emily's "goings on" with
Snodgrass, and forecasted another imprudent marriage l