'How do you think,' whispered the collector, drawing him aside, 'how do you think she looks tonight ?' 'As handsome as ever,' replied Nicholas, glancing at the late Miss Petowker.
'Why, there's air about her, sir,' whispered the collector, 'that I never saw in anybody.

Look at her, now she moves to put the kettle on.
There! Isn't it fascination, sir ?' 'You're a lucky man,' said Nicholas.
'Ha, ha, ha!' rejoined the collector.

'No.

Do you think I am though, eh?
Perhaps I may be, perhaps I may be.

I say, I couldn't have done much better if I had been a young man, could I?
You couldn't have done much better yourself, could you--eh--could you ?' With such inquires, and many more such, Mr Lillyvick jerked his elbow into Nicholas's side, and chuckled till his face became quite purple in the attempt to keep down his satisfaction.
By this time the cloth had been laid under the joint superintendence of all the ladies, upon two tables put together, one being high and narrow, and the other low and broad.