It would not have been unnatural to suppose, from the first part of Mrs. Gamp's lamentations, that she was connected with the stage coaching or post-horsing trade. She had no means of judging of the effect of her concluding remarks upon her young companion; for she interrupted herself at this point, and exclaimed:
"There she identically goes! Poor sweet young creetur, there she goes, like a lamb to the sacrifige! If there's any illness when that wessel gets to sea," said Mrs. Gamp, prophetically, "it's murder, and I'm the witness for the persecution."
She was so very earnest on the subject, that Tom's sister (being as kind as Tom himself), could not help saying something to her in reply.
"Pray which is the lady," she inquired, "in whom you are so much interested?"
"There!" groaned Mrs. Gamp. "There she goes! A crossin' the little wooden bridge at this minute. She's a slippin' on a bit of orange-peel!" tightly clutching her umbrella. "What a turn it give me!"
"Do you mean the lady who is with that man wrapped up from head to foot in a large cloak, so that his face is almost hidden?"
"Well he may hide it!" Mrs. Gamp replied. "He's good call to be ashamed of himself Did you see him a jerking of her wrist, then?"
"He seems to be hasty with her, indeed."
"Now he's a taking of her down into the close cabin!" said Mrs. Gamp, impatiently. "What's the man about! The deuce is in him I think. Why can't he leave her in the open air?"
He did not, whatever his reason was, but led her quickly down and disappeared himself, without loosening his cloak, or pausing on the crowded deck one moment longer than was necessary to clear their way to that part of the vessel.
Tom had not heard this little dialogue; for his attention had been engaged in an unexpected manner. A hand upon his sleeve had caused him to look round just when Mrs. Gamp concluded her apostrophe to the steam-engine; and on his right arm, Ruth being on his left, he found their landlord; to his great surprise.
He was not so much surprised at the man's being there, as at his having got close to him so quietly and swiftly; for another person had been at his elbow one instant before; and he had not in the meantime been conscious of any change or pressure in the knot of people among whom he stood. He and Ruth had frequently remarked how noiselessly this landlord of theirs came into and went out of his own house; but Tom was not the less amazed to see him at his elbow now.
"I beg your pardon, Mr. Pinch," he said in his ear. "I am rather infirm, and out of breath, and my eyes are not very good. I am not as young as I was, sir. You don't see a gentleman in a large cloak down yonder, with a lady on his arm; a lady in a veil and a black shawl; do you?"
If he did not, it was curious that in speaking he should have singled out from all the crowd the very people whom he described: and should have glanced hastily from them to Tom, as if he were burning to direct his wandering eyes.
"A gentleman in a large cloak!" said Tom, "and a lady in a black shawl! Let me see!"
"Yes, yes!" replied the other, with keen impatience. "A gentleman
