The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 380: what you’re looking at

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

THE STEAM PACKET. 293 _“ Your lordship’s father was my godfather,’ answered Pentonville ;- ‘‘ and this little circumstance, probably, suggested to me your lord- ship’s name, when I was anxious to seem upon intimate terms with personages moving in a high sphere of society.” ‘¢T am really very much obliged to you, sir, for the honour you did me in selecting me thus as one of your familiar friends,” said the earl ; but his lordship did not speak with the same bitterness, nor in the same irate manner as when he was addressing the discomfited tailor. © ‘“‘T apologise most sincerely, most humbly, my lord,” said the cap- tain. ‘In a word, I am deeply sensible of the foolish and dishonour- able path I have been pursuing. I admit the justice of the punish- ment which has now overtaken me; and I hope you will all allow me to explain the real origin of the imposture connected with your lord- ship’s name.” ‘* Proceed,” said Mr. Pifpaf benignantly. “But might I ask the motive——?” exclaimed the captain, glancing towards Mr. Smith. ‘“‘Oh! this gentleman has come—has come merely as a friend,”’ answered Mr. Pifpaf: ‘‘ you need not mind him. I have told him all, and he desired to see the end of it.”’ ‘‘ If you wish that gentleman’s presence as a disinterested witness of what I am about to state,” said Captain Pentonville, ‘‘I have not the least objection. I have made up my mind to act honourably in future; and my actions henceforth shall bear investigation.” A ‘‘ Well said, young man,” from Lord Noodleton, and a somewhat impatient “Go on—go on,” from Mr. Smith, together with a sub- dued ‘‘ Brayvo”’ from the corner in which Tom Gibbins was standing, interrupted the captain for a moment: he paused, glanced composedly around, and then spoke in the following manner :— ‘¢ 7 have already stated that I was vain and weak enough upon seve- ral occasions to affect an intimacy with his lordship; and on one occasion I was bold—indeed vile enough—to use his lordship’s name for the purpose of obtaining some money from Mr. Pifpaf. Mr. Pif- paf followed my messenger home to my lodgings, and met me and the tailor Buckram at the house door. Mr. Pifpaf immediately concluded that my companion was Lord Noodleton. What could I say? I declared that he was, but did not at the moment entertain the most remote idea that the deceit would be carried any farther. The tailor took advantage of it to insinuate himself by those means into Mr. Pif- paf’s society and that of his family and friends; and I was weak— wicked enough, I mean—to allow the fraud to be continued. I must however declare most solemnly—and_I do so at a moment when I have GComicbooks (E(0)