eantime Mr Feeder withdrew to his own room; and
Paul sat in a corner wondering whether Florence was thinking of him, and
what they were all about at Mrs Pipchin's.

Mr Toots, who had been detained by an important letter from the Duke of
Wellington, found Paul out after a time; and having looked at him for a
long while, as before, inquired if he was fond of waistcoats.

Paul said 'Yes, Sir.'

'So am I,' said Toots.

No word more spoke Toots that night; but he stood looking at Paul as
if he liked him; and as there was company in that, and Paul was not
inclined to talk, it answered his purpose better than conversation.

At eight o'clock or so, the gong sounded again for prayers in the
dining-room, where the butler afterwards presided over a side-table, on
which bread and cheese and beer were spread for such young gentlemen as
desired to partake of those refreshments. The ceremonies concluded by
the Doctor's saying, 'Gentlemen, we will resume our studies at seven
to-morrow;' and then, for the first time, Paul saw Cornelia Blimber's
eye, and saw that it was upon him. When the Doctor had said these words,
'Gentlemen, we will resume our studies at seven tomorrow,' the pupils
bowed again, and went to bed.

In the confidence of their own room upstairs, Briggs said his head ached
ready to split, and that he should wish himself dead if it wasn't for
his mother, and a blackbird he had at home Tozer didn't say much, but he
sighed a good deal, and told Paul to look out, for his turn would come
to-morrow. After uttering those prophetic words, he undressed himself
moodily, and got into bed. Briggs was in his bed too, and Paul in
his bed too, before the weak-eyed young man appeared to take away the
candle, when he wished them good-night and pleasant dreams. But
his benevolent wishes were in vain, as far as Briggs and Tozer were
concerned; for Paul, who lay awake for a long while, and often woke
afterwards, found that Briggs was ridden by his lesson as a nightmare:
and that Tozer, whose mind was affected in his sleep by similar causes,
in a minor degree talked unknown tongues, or scraps of Greek and
Latin--it was all one to Paul--which, in the silence of night, had an
inexpressibly wicked and guilty effect.

Paul had sunk into a sweet sleep, and dreamed that he was walking hand
in hand with Florence through beautiful gardens, when they came to a
large sunflower which suddenly expanded itself into a gong, and began
to sound. Openi