death of cold," said Emily.

"Dear old thing!" said Arabella. "Let me wrap this shawl round you,
Mr. Pickwick."

"Ah, that's the best thing you can do," said Wardle; "and when you've
got it on, run home as fast as your legs can carry you, and jump into
bed directly."

A dozen shawls were offered on the instant. Three or four of the
thickest having been selected, Mr. Pickwick was wrapped up, and
started off, under the guidance of Mr. Weller: presenting the
singular phenomenon of an elderly gentleman, dripping wet, and
without a hat, with his arms bound down to his sides, skimming
over the ground, without any clearly defined purpose, at the
rate of six good English miles an hour.

But Mr. Pickwick cared not for appearances in such an extreme case, and
urged on by Sam Weller, he kept at the very top of his speed until he
reached the door of Manor Farm, where Mr. Tupman had arrived some five
minutes before, and had frightened the old lady into palpitations of the
heart by impressing her with the unalterable conviction that the kitchen
chimney was on fire--a calamity which always presented itself in glowing
colors to the old lady's mind, when anybody about her evinced the
smallest agitation.

Mr. Pickwick paused not an instant until he was snug in bed. Sam Weller
lighted a blazing fire in his room, and took up his dinner, and
afterwards a great rejoicing was held in honor of his safety.

FOOTNOTES:

[O] MR. PICKWICK, a benevolent, simple-minded old gentleman, is the
founder of the Pickwick Club. He and three other members, Mr. Winkle,
Mr. Snodgrass, and Mr. Tupman, form the Corresponding Society of the
club, and they travel over England together, meeting with many
laughable adventures. They are accompanied by Samuel Weller, Mr.
Pickwick's servant, an inimitable compound of cool impudence, quaint
humor, and fidelity. The Pickwickians have accepted the invitation of
Mr. Wardle, of Manor Farm, Dingley Dell, to be present at the
marriage of his daughter, Isabella, to Mr. Trundle. Among the guests
are also Mr. Bob Sawyer and Mr. Benjamin Allen, two medical students,
and Mr. Allen's sister, Arabella. Other members of Mr. Wardle's
household are Mr. Wardle's mother, the "old lady" of Manor Farm, his
daughter, Emily, and Joe, a servant lad, known as the "fat boy." The
wedding takes place on the twenty-third of December, and then follow
the Christmas festivities, of which the skating forms a part.

LXVII. THE HANGING