Of course you want the guest to be happy and comfortable; and how can that be if he has to trouble himself with answering all sorts of questions while he is still confused with the new customs and people about him? No, no: I am going to take him where he can ask questions himself, and have them answered; that is, to my great-granfather in Bloomsbury: and I am sure you can't have anything to say against that.
So instead of bothering, you had much better go out to James Allen's and get a carriage for me, as I shall drive him up myself; and please tell Jim to let me have the old grey, for I can drive a wherry much better than a carriage. Jump up old fellow, and don't be disappointed;our guest will keep himself for you and your stories."I stared at Dick; for I wondered at his speaking to such a dignified-looking personage so familiarly, not to say curtly; for Ithought that this Mr. Boffin, in spite of his well-known name out of dickens, must be at the least a senator of these strange people.
However, he got up and said, "All rightr, old oar-wearer, whatever you like; this is not one of my busy days; and though" (with a condescending bow to me) "my plesure of a talk with this learned guest is put off, I admit that he ought to see your worthy kinsman as soon as possible. Besides, perhaps he will be the better able to answer _my_ questions after his own have been answered."And therewith he turned and swung himself out of the hall.
When he was well gone, I said: "Is it wrong to ask what Mr. Boffin is?
whose name, by the way reminds me of many pleasant hours passed in reading Dickens."Dick laughed. "Yes, yes," said he: "as it does us, I see you take the allusion. Of course jos real name is not boffin, but Henry Johnson; we only call him Boffin as a joke, partly because he is a dustman, and partly because he will dress so showily, and get as much gold on him as a baron of the Middle Ages. As why should he not if he likes? only we are his special friends, you know, so of course we jest with him."I held my tongue for some time after that; but Dick went on:
"He is a capital fellow, and you can't help liking him; but he has a weakness; he will spend his time in writing reactionary novels, and is very proud of getting the local colour right, as he calls it; and as he thinks you come from some forgotten corner of the earth, where people are unhappy, and consequently interesting to a story-teller, he thinks he might get some information out of you. O, he will be quite straightforward with you, for that matter. Only for your own comfort beware of him!""Well, Dick" said the weaver, doggedly, "I think his novels are very good.""Of course you do," said Dick; "birds of a feather flock together;mathematics and antiquarian novels stand on much the same footing. But here he comes again."And in effect the Golden Dustman hailed us from the hall-door; so we all got up and went into the porch, before which, with a strong grey horse in the shafts, stood a carriage ready for us which I could not help noticing. It was light and handy, but had none of that sickening vulgarity which I had known as inseparable from the carriages of our time, especially the `elegant' ones, but was as graceful and pleasant in line as a Wessex wagon. we go in, Dick and I. The girls, who had come into the porch to see us off, waved their hands to us; the weaver nodded kindly; the dustman bowed as gracefully as a troubadour; Dick shook the reins, and we were off.
