“I’ll owe you five,” said Arabella, “for old acquaintance’ sake, you know;” and another most captivating smile was bestowed upon the corpulent intruder.
The fat boy’s perception being slow, he looked rather puzzled at first to account for this sudden prepossession in his favour, and stared about him in a very alarming manner. At length his broad face began to show symptoms of a grin of proportionately broad dimensions; and then, thrusting half-a-crown into each of his pockets, and a hand and wrist after it, he burst into a hoarse laugh: being for the first and only time in his existence.
“He understands us, I see,” said Arabella.
“He had better have something to eat, immediately,” remarked Emily.
The fat boy almost laughed again when he heard this suggestion. Mary, after a little more whispering, tripped forth from the group, and said:
“I am going to dine with you to-day, sir, if you have no objection.”
“This way,” said the fat boy, eagerly. “There is such a jolly meat-pie!”
With these words, the fat boy led the way down-stairs; his pretty companion captivating all the waiters and angering all the chambermaids as she followed him to the eating-room.
There was the meat-pie of which the youth had spoken so feelingly, and there were, moreover, a steak, and a dish of potatoes, and a pot of porter.