I must wash my hands and change my boots, my love; I am not fit to sit down to table with you in this pickle.

Well, Polly, how are you ?" "I'm glad you're hungry, my dear, I've such a nice dinner for you," replied the wife, all smiles.

"Jemima, be quick and dish up--Mr Handycock is so hungry." "Yes, marm," replied the cook; and Mrs Handycock followed her husband into his bedroom on the same floor, to assist him at his toilet.
"By Jove, Nancy, the _bulls_ have been nicely taken in," said Mr Handycock, as we sat down to dinner.
"O, I am so glad!" replied his wife, giggling; and so I believe she was, but why I did not understand.
"Mr Simple," said he, "will you allow me to offer you a little fish ?" "If you do not want it all yourself, sir," replied I politely.
Mrs Handycock frowned and shook her head at me, while her husband helped me.

"My dove, a bit of fish ?" We both had our share to-day, and I never saw a man more polite than Mr Handycock.

He joked with his wife, asked me to drink wine with him two or three times, talked about my grandfather; and, in short, we had a very pleasant evening.
The next morning all my clothes came home, but Mr Handycock, who still continued in good humour, said that he would not allow me to travel by night, that I should sleep there and set off the next morning; which I did at six o'clock, and before eight I had arrived at the Elephant and Castle, where we stopped for a quarter of an hour.