 originally cost; and the like. In all of this,
he was, as he considered, desperately hard on Montague, and very demonstrative
of his own brilliant parts.
    Some Champagne Punch gave a new though temporary fillip to the
entertainments of the evening. For after leading to some noisy proceedings,
which were not intelligible, it ended in the unsteady departure of the two
gentlemen of the world, and the slumber of Mr. Jonas upon one of the sofas.
    As he could not be made to understand where he was, Mr. Bailey received
orders to call a hackney-coach, and take him home: which that young gentleman
roused himself from an uneasy sleep in the hall, to do. It being now almost
three o'clock in the morning.
    »Is he hooked, do you think?« whispered Crimple, as himself and partner
stood in a distant part of the room observing him as he lay.
    »Ay!« said Tigg, in the same tone. »With a strong iron, perhaps. Has Nadgett
been here to-night?«
    »Yes. I went out to him. Hearing you had company, he went away.«
    »Why did he do that?«
    »He said he would come back early in the morning, before you were out of
bed.«
    »Tell them to be sure and send him up to my bedside. Hush! Here's the boy!
Now Mr. Bailey, take this gentleman home, and see him safely in. Hallo here! Why
Chuzzlewit, halloa!«
    They got him upright with some difficulty, and assisted him down stairs,
where they put his hat upon his head, and tumbled him into the coach. Mr.
Bailey, having shut him in, mounted the box beside the coachman, and smoked his
cigar with an air of particular satisfaction; the undertaking in which he was
engaged having a free and sporting character about it, which was quite congenial
to his taste.
    Arriving in due time at the house in the City, Mr. Bailey jumped down, and
expressed the lively nature of his feelings in a knock: the like of which had
probably not been heard in that quarter since the great fire of London. Going
out into the road to observe the effect of this feat, he saw that a dim light,
previously visible at an upper window, had been already removed and was
travelling down stairs. To obtain a foreknowledge of the bearer of this taper,
Mr. Bailey skipped back to the door again, and put his eye to the keyhole.
    It was the merry
