friend Gay and myself have
been discussing the propriety of entreating a favour at your hands;
and that I have the consent of my friend Gay--who has met me in an
exceedingly kind and open manner, for which I am very much indebted to
him--to solicit it. I am sensible that so amiable a lady as the lovely
and accomplished daughter of my friend Dombey will not require much
urging; but I am happy to know, that I am supported by my friend Gay's
influence and approval. As in my parliamentary time, when a man had a
motion to make of any sort--which happened seldom in those days, for we
were kept very tight in hand, the leaders on both sides being regular
Martinets, which was a devilish good thing for the rank and file, like
myself, and prevented our exposing ourselves continually, as a great
many of us had a feverish anxiety to do--as' in my parliamentary time,
I was about to say, when a man had leave to let off any little private
popgun, it was always considered a great point for him to say that he
had the happiness of believing that his sentiments were not without
an echo in the breast of Mr Pitt; the pilot, in point of fact, who had
weathered the storm. Upon which, a devilish large number of fellows
immediately cheered, and put him in spirits. Though the fact is, that
these fellows, being under orders to cheer most excessively whenever Mr
Pitt's name was mentioned, became so proficient that it always woke 'em.
And they were so entirely innocent of what was going on, otherwise, that
it used to be commonly said by Conversation Brown--four-bottle man at
the Treasury Board, with whom the father of my friend Gay was probably
acquainted, for it was before my friend Gay's time--that if a man had
risen in his place, and said that he regretted to inform the house that
there was an Honourable Member in the last stage of convulsions in the
Lobby, and that the Honourable Member's name was Pitt, the approbation
would have been vociferous.'

This postponement of the point, put Florence in a flutter; and she
looked from Cousin Feenix to Walter, in increasing agitation.

'My love,' said Walter, 'there is nothing the matter.

'There is nothing the matter, upon my honour,' said Cousin Feenix; 'and
I am deeply distressed at being the means of causing you a moment's
uneasiness. I beg to assure you that there is nothing the matter.
The favour that I have to ask is, simply--but it really does seem so
exceedingly singular, that I should be in th