st, neither, by one's being
here; because the boys' money comes in just the same as if I was at
home, and Mrs Squeers she keeps them in order. There'll be some lost
time to make up, of course. There'll be an arrear of flogging as'll have
to be gone through: still, a couple of days makes that all right, and
one don't mind a little extra work for one hundred pound. It's pretty
nigh the time to wait upon the old woman. From what she said last night,
I suspect that if I'm to succeed at all, I shall succeed tonight; so
I'll have half a glass more, to wish myself success, and put myself in
spirits. Mrs Squeers, my dear, your health!'

Leering with his one eye as if the lady to whom he drank had been
actually present, Mr Squeers--in his enthusiasm, no doubt--poured out
a full glass, and emptied it; and as the liquor was raw spirits, and he
had applied himself to the same bottle more than once already, it is not
surprising that he found himself, by this time, in an extremely cheerful
state, and quite enough excited for his purpose.

What this purpose was soon appeared; for, after a few turns about the
room to steady himself, he took the bottle under his arm and the glass
in his hand, and blowing out the candle as if he purposed being gone
some time, stole out upon the staircase, and creeping softly to a door
opposite his own, tapped gently at it.

'But what's the use of tapping?' he said, 'She'll never hear. I suppose
she isn't doing anything very particular; and if she is, it don't much
matter, that I see.'

With this brief preface, Mr Squeers applied his hand to the latch of the
door, and thrusting his head into a garret far more deplorable than
that he had just left, and seeing that there was nobody there but an old
woman, who was bending over a wretched fire (for although the weather
was still warm, the evening was chilly), walked in, and tapped her on
the shoulder.

'Well, my Slider,' said Mr Squeers, jocularly.

'Is that you?' inquired Peg.

'Ah! it's me, and me's the first person singular, nominative case,
agreeing with the verb "it's", and governed by Squeers understood, as a
acorn, a hour; but when the h is sounded, the a only is to be used, as
a and, a art, a ighway,' replied Mr Squeers, quoting at random from the
grammar. 'At least, if it isn't, you don't know any better, and if it
is, I've done it accidentally.'

Delivering this reply in his accustomed tone of voice, in which of
course it was inaudible to