“Bless me, cook, I forgot you,” said Mr. Muzzle. “Mr. Weller, let me introduce you.”
“How are you, ma’am?” said Mr. Weller. “Wery glad to see you, indeed, and hope our acquaintance may be a long ’un, as the gen’lm’n said to the fi’-pun’ note.”
When this ceremony of introduction had been gone through, the cook and Mary retired into the back kitchen to titter, for ten minutes; then returning, all giggles and blushes, they sat down to dinner.
Mr. Weller’s easy manners and conversational powers had such irresistible influence with his new friends, that before the dinner was half over they were on a footing of perfect intimacy and in possession of a full account of the delinquency of Job Trotter.
“I never could a-bear that Job,” said Mary.
“No more you never ought to, my dear,” replied Mr. Weller.
“Why not?” inquired Mary.
“Cos ugliness and svindlin’ never ought to be formiliar vith elegance and wirtew,” replied Mr. Weller. “Ought they, Mr. Muzzle?”
“Not by no means,” replied that gentleman.