DESCRIPTIVE OF A VERY IMPORTANT PROCEEDING ON THE PART OF Mr. PICKWICK;NO LESS AN EPOCH IN HIS LIFE, THAN INTHIS HISTORYr. Pickwick’s apartments in Goswell Street, although ona limited scale, were not only of a very neat andcomfortable description, but peculiarly adapted for theresidence of a man of his genius and observation. His sitting-roomwas the first-floor front, his bedroom the second-floor front; andthus, whether he were sitting at his desk in his parlour, orstanding before the dressing-glass in his dormitory, he had anequal opportunity of contemplating human nature in all thenumerous phases it exhibits, in that not more populous thanpopular thoroughfare. His landlady, Mrs. Bardell―the relict andsole executrix of a deceased custom-house officer―was a comelywoman of bustling manners and agreeable appearance, with anatural genius for cooking, improved by study and long practice,into an exquisite talent. There were no children, no servants, nofowls. The only other inmates of the house were a large man and asmall boy; the first a lodger, the second a production of Mrs.

　　Bardell’s. The large man was always home precisely at ten o’clockat night, at which hour he regularly condensed himself into thelimits of a dwarfish French bedstead in the back parlour; and theinfantine sports and gymnastic exercises of Master Bardell wereexclusively confined to the neighbouring pavements and gutters.

　　Cleanliness and quiet reigned throughout the house; and in it Mr.

　　Pickwick’s will was law.

　　To any one acquainted with these points of the domesticeconomy of the establishment, and conversant with the admirableregulation of Mr. Pickwick’s mind, his appearance and behaviouron the morning previous to that which had been fixed upon for thejourney to Eatanswill would have been most mysterious andunaccountable. He paced the room to and fro with hurried steps,popped his head out of the window at intervals of about threeminutes each, constantly referred to his watch, and exhibitedmany other manifestations of impatience very unusual with him. Itwas evident that something of great importance was incontemplation, but what that something was, not even Mrs.

　　Bardell had been enabled to discover.

　　‘Mrs. Bardell,’ said Mr. Pickwick, at last, as that amiable femaleapproached the termination of a prolonged dusting of theapartment.

　　‘Sir,’ said Mrs. Bardell.

　　‘Your little boy is a very long time gone.’

　　‘Why it’s a good long way to the Borough, sir,’ remonstratedMrs. Bardell.

　　‘Ah,’ said Mr. Pickwick, ‘very true; so it is.’ Mr. Pickwickrelapsed into silence, and Mrs. Bardell resumed her dusting.

　　‘Mrs. Bardell,’ said Mr. Pickwick, at the expiration of a fewminutes.

　　‘Sir,’ said Mrs. Bardell again. ‘Do you think it a much greaterexpense to keep two people, than to keep one?’

　　‘La, Mr. Pickwick,’ said Mrs. Bardell, colouring up to the veryborder of her cap, as she fancied she observed a species ofmatrimonial twinkle in the eyes of her lodger; ‘La, Mr. Pickwick,what a question!’

　　‘Well, but do you?’ inquired Mr. Pickwick.

　　‘That depends,’ said Mrs. Bardell, approaching the duster verynear to Mr. Pickwick’s elbow which was planted on the table. ‘thatdepends a good deal upon the person, you know, Mr. Pickwick;and whether it’s a saving and careful person, sir.’

　　‘That’s very true,’ said Mr. Pickwick, ‘but the person I have inmy eye (here he looked very hard at Mrs. Bardell) I thinkpossesses these qualities; and has, moreover, a considerableknowledge of the world, and a great deal of sharpness, Mrs.

　　Bardell, which may be of material use to me.’

　　‘La, Mr. Pickwick,’ said Mrs. Bardell, the crimson rising to hercap-border again.

　　‘I do,’ said Mr. Pickwick, growing energetic, as was his wont inspeaking of a subject which interested him―‘I do, indeed; and totell you the truth, Mrs. Bardell, I have made up my mind.’

　　‘Dear me, sir,’ exclaimed Mrs. Bardell.

　　‘You’ll think it very strange now,’ said the amiable Mr.

　　Pickwick, with a good-humoured glance at his companion, ‘that Inever consulted you about this matter, and never even mentionedit, till I sent your little boy out this morning―eh?’

　　Mrs. Bardell could only reply by a look. She had longworshipped Mr. Pickwick at a distance, but here she was, all atonce, raised to a pinnacle to which her wildest and mostextravagant hopes had never dared to aspire. Mr. Pickwick wasgoing to propose―a deliberate plan, too―sent her little boy to theBorough, to get him out of the way―how thoughtful―howconsiderate!

　　‘Well,’ said Mr. Pickwick, ‘what do you think?’

　　‘Oh, Mr. Pickwick,’ said Mrs. Bardell, trembling with agitation,‘you’re very kind, sir.’

　　‘It’ll save you a good deal of trouble, won’t it?’ said Mr.

　　Pickwick. ‘Oh, I never thought anything of the trouble, sir,’ repliedMrs. Bardell; ‘and, of course, I should take more trouble to pleaseyou then, than ever; but it is so kind of you, Mr. Pickwick, to haveso much consideration for my loneliness.’

　　‘Ah, to be sure,’ said Mr. Pickwick; ‘I never thought of that.

　　When I am in town, you’ll always have somebody to sit with you.

　　To be sure, so you will.’

　　‘I am sure I ought to be a very happy woman,’ said Mrs. Bardell.

　　‘And your little boy―’ said Mr. Pickwick.

　　‘Bless his heart!’ interposed Mrs. Bardell, with a maternal sob.

　　‘He, too, will have a companion,’ resumed Mr. Pickwick, ‘alively one, who’ll teach him, I’ll be bound, more tricks in a weekthan he would ever learn in a year.’ And Mr. Pickwick smiledplacidly.

　　‘Oh, you dear―’ said Mrs. Bardell.

　　Mr. Pickwick started.

　　‘Oh, you kind, good, playful dear,’ said Mrs. Bardell; andwithout more ado, she rose from her chair, and flung her armsround Mr. Pickwick’s neck, with a cataract of tears and a chorus ofsobs.

　　‘Bless my soul,’ cried the astonished Mr. Pickwick; ‘Mrs.

　　Bardell, my good woman―dear me, what a situation―prayconsider.―Mrs. Bardell, don’t―if anybody should come―’

　　‘Oh, let them come,’ exclaimed Mrs. Bardell frantically; ‘I’llnever leave you―dear, kind, good soul;’ and, with these words,Mrs. Bardell clung the tighter.

　　‘Mercy upon me,’ said Mr. Pickwick, struggling violently, ‘I hearsomebody coming up the stairs. Don’t, don’t, there’s a goodcreature, don’t.’ But entreaty and remonstrance were alikeunavailing; for Mrs. Bardell had fainted in Mr. Pickwick’s arms;and before he could gain time to deposit her on a chair, MasterBardell entered the room, ushering in Mr. Tupman, Mr. Winkle,and Mr. Snodgrass.

　　Mr.............