k from the college (loud applause). He saw, they saw the
significance of this. Following up the clue, he next found that this
gentleman was a person of literary tastes--and, mark this, often went
into town to scientific meetings and to the theatres (loud applause).
Further, he had discovered one or two very "oldest inhabitants" (a
laugh) who had known this very Benjamin Allen, the grandfather, and
who could not recall anything precise about him: but all agreed, and
they should further mark this, that he had the air and bearing of a
man of theatrical tastes, and that "it was as likely as not"--to use
their very words--"that he belonged to the family of Ralph Allen"
(applause). The learned gentleman then proceeded to work out his
clever theory with much ingenuity, and, at the end, left "not a shadow
of a shade of a doubt" in the minds of his hearers in general, and in
his own mind in particular, that this Dr. Benjamin Allen--of the East
Indies--was the lineal descendant of our own Ralph Allen. We have,
however, with regret to add, that this evening did not pass over so
harmoniously as it could be desired. As soon as Mr. Pickwick had sat
down and discussion was invited--Mr. Pickwick, however, saying that
there was really nothing to discuss, as no one knew the facts but
himself--a visitor from Town, who had been introduced at his own
request by one of the members, stood up, will it be believed, to
_attack_ Mr. Pickwick and his paper! It transpired that this
intruder's name was Blotton, a person in the haberdashery line, and
that he came from somewhere in the neighbourhood of Huggin Lane. He
said that all they had been listening to was simple moonshine. (_No_!
_No_!) But Yes! Yes! Had they ever heard of a river in Monmouth and
another in Macedon? There was an Allen some hundred years ago--and a
Ben Allen now alive in India. What rubbish was this? ("_Shame_"
cries of "_put him out_"). Where was the connection, he asked. Some
old dotard or dodderer, they were told, said so. The doddering in the
case was not confined to that individual. Here Mr. Pickwick rose,
and, with much heat, told the intruder to sit down. He would not hear
him; he ought to be ashamed of himself. "Would you believe it," went
on Mr. Pickwick, "this is a person who was actually _expelled_--yes,
expelled--from a club--the well-known Pickwick