ick entered the house,
still scarcely aroused, and turning into the study, sank into an
armchair, and once more fell into a slumber. He was presently
aroused, he says, by voices, and found himself surrounded by strange
faces and figures in various states of _deshabille_. The head of the
house, the well-known Mr. Gibson, who had been roused from his
slumbers, on the maid, Mary Perkes, giving the alarm that robbers were
in the house, had rushed down in his trousers only; the man-servant
ditto; the young ladies in anything they could find. Mr. Pickwick
describes his alarm as he found these faces round him, and, not
unnaturally, conceived the idea that robbers had broken into _his_
house, and that his was in their power! A humorous imbroglio
followed. He instantly rushed to secure the poker, and, flourishing
it round his head, cried out repeatedly, "Keep off! every one of you!
or I'll brain the first man that comes near me!" Fortunately, the
respected man-servant, who had been many years with Mr. Gibson, and
had met Mr. Weller, at once recognized Mr. Weller's master, and said:
"Why, its Mr. Pickwick! ain't it? Don't you know _this_ ain't your
own house, sir." The truth then all flashed upon him. Mr. Pickwick
relates that he became so tickled with the odd humour of his situation
that he fell into his chair in convulsions of laughter, and laughed
long and loudly, for many minutes. The more he laughed, the more Mr.
Gibson laughed. At last, all was explained, and the amusing scene
ended by a room being hastily got ready for Mr. Pickwick (for the
cabman had gone away). No one was more amused, or indeed, more
pleased, at these "mistakes of a night" than Mr. Gibson, who always
tells the story with infinite drollery. Mr. Pickwick takes all the
blame on himself, declaring, as he says his old friend Winkle used to
say: "_It wasn't the wine_, _but the salmon_."

ATTEMPTED ROBBERY AT MR. PICKWICK'S HOUSE.

Last night, we are sorry to learn, a very daring attempt was made to
rob the mansion of our much esteemed resident, Mr. Pickwick. The
Dell, as our readers know, is a substantial dwelling-house, standing
in its own grounds, and comparatively unprotected. The family,
consists of the owner, his housekeeper, Mrs. Purdy, and his faithful
servant, Mr. Samuel Weller, whose pleasant humour is well-known, and
who is d