The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

a td Pg OO FO ae. Fe THE STEAM PACKET. 47 amiable to Aramintha ;—Belinda was computing in her own mind the probability of falling off the paddle-box, if she attempted to climb up its;—and Sarah was humming to herself the slow sounds of warlike music which commence the sonata of the ‘‘ Battle of Prague.” Mr. Pifpaf seized this opportunity to have a word with the secretary. - -“*My dear Mr. Rumtutch,” said he, taking that gentleman aside, “ you and I met yesterday evening, under somewhat singular circum- stances.” ‘¢ Who—I—where 2” cried the secretary, with an admirable affect- ation of ignorance. ‘<'W hy—in the alley leading up to the—the—you know what,” said. Mr. Pifpaf. | - “* Leading where, sir ?’’ demanded Mr, Rumtutch, staring his supe- rior with most astounding calmness in the face. “¢ 'Well—if I must say it—to the pawnbroker’s shop,” returned Mr. Pifpaf; ‘‘ from which I saw you come out with a bundle under your arm, and a pair of boots in your hand.” “Mr. Pifpaf,” said the secretary, “yo may be accustomed to go to pawnbrokers’ shops; but am not; and I request that you will not make this kind of mistake again, at least in regard to me.” “¢ Mr. Rumtutch,” exclaimed the chairman, ‘‘ what am I to under- stand by this? Will you make me believe that I cannot put faith in my own eyes?” _ “Not in this instance,’’ answered the secretary, with the most im- perturbable coolness. ‘¢ And you were not there ?”’ continued Mr. Pifpaf. “‘No—certainly not.” “¢ And you did not run against me in the alley 2”’ “‘ No—I repeat I was not there.” “Then, Mr. Rumtutch,” said the chairman, ‘‘ I saw your ghost!” Mr. Pifpaf grew as pale as his naturally rubicund face would allow him to be, and added, after a pause, ‘‘ Do you believe in ghosts? Do you think that there are such things as fetches ?” ‘‘T have always entertained that belief,’ replied Mr. Rumtutch, solemnly. | “ Well, then—I have seen your fetch, my dear Rumtutch!” ejacu- lated Mr. Pifpaf, in a mournful tone: “‘ pray to heaven that this voy- age may not prove unfortunate to you.” 3 ‘<T will—I must indeed,”’ answered the secretary, with an almost invisible curl of the lip; for he bad on his feet the identical Welling- tons, and on his back the selfsame garments, which on the preceding evening he had just withdrawn from the custody of his uncle, when he “EComicbooks (E(0)