first gently, then more loudly.

"Gracious Heaven!" said the middle-aged lady. "What's that?"

"It's--it's only a gentleman, ma'am," said Mr. Pickwick.

"A strange man!" exclaimed the lady with a terrific scream.

Mr. Pickwick put out his head in desperation.

"Wretch!" she said, covering her face with her hands. "What do you want
here?"

"Nothing, ma'am--nothing whatever, ma'am," said Mr. Pickwick earnestly.
"I am almost ready to sink, ma'am, beneath the confusion of addressing
a lady in my nightcap (here the lady snatched off hers) but I can't get
it off, ma'am! (here Mr. Pickwick gave it a tremendous tug). It is
evident to me now that I have mistaken this bedroom for my own."

"If this be true," said the lady sobbing violently, "you will leave it
instantly."

"Certainly, ma'am," answered Mr. Pickwick appearing, "I--I--am very
sorry, ma'am."

The lady pointed to the door. With his hat on over his nightcap, his
shoes in his hand and his coat over his arm, Mr. Pickwick opened the
door, dropping both shoes with a crash. "I trust, ma'am," he resumed,
bowing very low, "that my unblemished character--" but before he could
finish the sentence the lady had thrust him into the hall and bolted the
door.

Luckily Mr. Pickwick met, coming along the corridor, the faithful Sam
Weller who took him safely to his room.

V

THE PICKWICKIANS FIND THEMSELVES IN THE
GRASP OF THE LAW. THE FINAL EXPOSURE
OF JINGLE, AND A CHRISTMAS
MERRYMAKING

Mr. Pickwick was still indoors next morning, when Sam, strolling through
the town, met, coming from a certain garden-gate, the wily Job Trotter.
Job tried at first to disguise himself by making a horrible face, but
Sam was not to be deceived, and finding this trick vain, the other burst
into tears of joy to see him.

Job told Sam that his master, Jingle, had bribed the mistress of the
boarding-school to deny to Mr. Pickwick that she knew him, and had then
cruelly deserted the beautiful young lady for a richer one. But this
time Sam was too wise to believe anything Job said.

Meanwhile, in the inn, Mr. Pickwick was giving Mr. Peter Magnus some
good advice as to the best method of proposing. The latter finally
plucked up his courage, saw the lady, proposed to her, and was accepted.
In his gratitude, he insisted on taking Mr. Pickwick to be introduced to
her.

The instant he saw her, however, Mr. Pickwick uttered an exclamation,
and the lady