‘No,’ said Mr Pecksniff, ‘thank you. Not at all.’
‘Just so,’ returned Mr Tigg. ‘If you had been, I’d have got it for you.’ With that he began to whistle; but a dozen seconds had not elapsed when he stopped short, and looking earnestly at Mr Pecksniff, said:
‘Perhaps you’d rather not lend Slyme five shillings?’
‘I would much rather not,’ Mr Pecksniff rejoined.
‘Egad!’ cried Tigg, gravely nodding his head as if some ground of objection occurred to him at that moment for the first time, ‘it’s very possible you may be right. Would you entertain the same sort of objection to lending me five shillings now?’
‘Yes, I couldn’t do it, indeed,’ said Mr Pecksniff.
‘Not even half-a-crown, perhaps?’ urged Mr Tigg.
‘Not even half-a-crown.’
‘Why, then we come,’ said Mr Tigg, ‘to the ridiculously small amount of eighteen pence. Ha! ha!’
‘And that,’ said Mr Pecksniff, ‘would be equally objectionable.’