"'You should do so, Sir,' said Pott with a severe countenance.
"'They appeared in the form of a copious review of a work on Chinese metaphysics, Sir,' said Pott.
"'Oh,' observed Mr. Pickwick—'from your pen I hope?'
"'From the pen of my critic, Sir,' rejoined Pott with dignity.
"'An abstruse subject I should conceive,' said Mr. Pickwick.
"'Very, Sir,' responded Pott, looking intensely sage. 'He crammed for it, to use a technical but expressive term; he read up for the subject, at my desire, in the Encyclopædia Britannica.'
"'Indeed!' said Mr. Pickwick; 'I was not aware that that valuable work contained any information respecting Chinese metaphysics.'
"'He read, Sir,' rejoined Mr. Pott, laying his hand on Mr. Pickwick's knee, and looking round with a smile of intellectual superiority, 'he read for metaphysics under the letter M, and for China under the letter C; and combined his information, Sir!'
"Mr. Pott's features assumed so much additional grandeur at the recollection of the power and research displayed in the learned effusions in question, that some minutes elapsed before Mr. Pickwick felt emboldened to renew the conversation."