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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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469 and put on an immense pair of spectacles), they went back to breakfast in high spirits. And here they found Nicholas awaiting their arrival. ‘Now then,’ said Crummles, who had been assisting Mrs Grudden in the preparations, which were on a more extensive scale than was quite agreeable to the collector. ‘Breakfast, breakfast.’ No second invitation was required. The company crowded and squeezed themselves at the table as well as they could, and fell to, immediately: Miss Petowker blushing very much when anybody was looking, and eating very much when anybody was NOT looking; and Mr Lillyvick going to work as though with the cool resolve, that since the good things must be paid for by him, he would leave as little as possible for the Crummleses to eat up afterwards. ‘It’s very soon done, sir, isn’t it?’ inquired Mr Folair of the collector, leaning over the table to address him. ‘What is soon done, sir?’ returned Mr Lillyvick. ‘The tying up--the fixing oneself with a wife,’ replied Mr Folair. ‘It don’t take long, does it?’ ‘No, sir,’ replied Mr Lillyvick, colouring. ‘It does not take long. And what then, sir?’ ‘Oh! nothing,’ said the actor. ‘It don’t take a man long to hang himself, either, eh? ha, ha!’ Mr Lillyvick laid down his knife and fork, and looked round the table with indignant astonishment. ‘To hang himself!’ repeated Mr Lillyvick. A profound silence came upon all, for Mr Lillyvick was dignified beyond expression. |
