The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 284: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE STEAM PACKET. 219 © © Well—let us settle for this rub first,”’ returned the tailor; ‘and then I and the captain will play you again with pleasure.” “Oh! just as you like!” said Mr. Slummers, seeing that Mr. Bam- bross, instead of giving any answer to this request, or indeed even appearing to hear it, was busily engaged in drinking up his cold brandy-and-water ;—‘“‘ just as you like! Give meacall at my lodgings to-morrow morning, and [’ll settle my share.” “‘ These matters are usually arranged on the spot,”’ said the captain, twirling his moustaches with alarming fierceness. ‘¢'Yes—on the nail,” echoed Mr. Buckram. ** Unfortunately I haven’t enough with me——” began Mr. Slum- mers, stammering and blushing. “‘ Now I tell you what it is, my good fellow,” exclaimed the captain, ** I saw through you and your friend Bambross all along. It was a regular plant upon us: but you shall not come off quite so easy as you think, Pay the money you have lost, or I will proclaim you a common swindler.” ‘“*Swindler!’’ ejaculated the person thus addressed, and who was glad to be able to catch up a word to enable him to bully and brazen the matter out: ‘swindler! no more a swindler than you, captain! ”’ “You are a swindler—a regular swindler! ”’ cried Buckram, poking his countenance over the captain’s shoulder, and bawling with all his might: ‘‘any one can see that by the cut of your small-clothes!”’ ‘“Ah! ha! swindler indeed!” said Mr. Slummers, shrugging his shoulders, and affecting to laugh ironically. ‘I should like to know who are the swindlers—those who play fair and proper, or those who disguise their proficiency until the convenient moment.” Scarcely had these words emanated from the gentleman’s lips, when Captain Pentonville very coolly knocked him down. Mr. Bambross shouted ‘ Police! police!” with all his might, and rushed out of the café—to which, by the way, he did not return any more that night; and when Mr. Slummers got up again to ‘‘ show fight,’ Mr. Buckram recommended his friend to ‘‘floor him again,’—a piece of advice which was immediately followed. The captain’s antagonist rose a second time, and, seizing a billiard cue, broke it over his assailant’s head. At that critical juncture Mr. Pifpaf—under the influence of the purest motives of humanity and the best cognac brandy—rushed forward to separate the combatants, and in so doing was most ignominiously levelled by the billiard cue. Mr. Buckram, screwing up his courage to a desperate pitch, now darted between the belligerents to rescue his intended father-in-law; and at the same moment some friends of Mr. Slummers also thought fit to take a part in the evening’s entertain- Gomicbooks (E(0)