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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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491 she had scarcely done, and seated herself with looks as collected as she could assume, when two gentlemen, both perfect strangers, presented themselves. ‘How do you do?’ said one gentleman, laying great stress on the last word of the inquiry. ‘How do you do?’ said the other gentleman, altering the emphasis, as if to give variety to the salutation. Mrs Nickleby curtseyed and smiled, and curtseyed again, and remarked, rubbing her hands as she did so, that she hadn’t the-- really--the honour to-- ‘To know us,’ said the first gentleman. ‘The loss has been ours, Mrs Nickleby. Has the loss been ours, Pyke?’ ‘It has, Pluck,’ answered the other gentleman. ‘We have regretted it very often, I believe, Pyke?’ said the first gentleman. ‘Very often, Pluck,’ answered the second. ‘But now,’ said the first gentleman, ‘now we have the happiness we have pined and languished for. Have we pined and languished for this happiness, Pyke, or have we not?’ ‘You know we have, Pluck,’ said Pyke, reproachfully. ‘You hear him, ma’am?’ said Mr Pluck, looking round; ‘you hear the unimpeachable testimony of my friend Pyke--that reminds me,--formalities, formalities, must not be neglected in civilised society. Pyke--Mrs Nickleby.’ Mr Pyke laid his hand upon his heart, and bowed low. ‘Whether I shall introduce myself with the same formality,’ said Mr Pluck--‘whether I shall say myself that my name is Pluck, or whether I shall ask my friend Pyke (who being now regularly introduced, is competent to the office) to state for me, Mrs |
