Charles Dickens

“ What's the object of your journey, sir?—Matrimonial?"
"We are going to be married, Cobbs, at Gretna Green," returned the boy. "We have run away on purpose. Norah has been in rather low spirits, Cobbs; but she'll be happy, now we have found you to be our friend."
"Thank you, sir, and thank you miss," says Cobbs, "for your good opinion. Did you bring any luggage with you, sir?"
If I will believe Boots when he gives me his word and honor upon it, the lady had got a parasol, a smelling-bottle, a round and a half of cold buttered toast, eight peppermint drops and a hair-brush—seemingly a doll's. ”

“ But, supposing a young gentleman not eight year old, was to run away with a fine young woman of seven, might I think that a queer start? Certainly! Then, that was a part as he himself had had his blessed eyes on—and he had cleaned the shoes they run away in—and they were so little that he couldn't get his hand into 'em.
Master Harry Walmers' father, you see, he lived at the Elmses, down away by Shooter's Hill there, six or seven miles from Lunnon. He was a gentleman of spirit, and good-looking, and held his head up when he walked, and had what you may call fire about him. ”

“ Boots couldn't but feel with increased acuteness what a base deceiver he was, when they consulted him at breakfast (they had ordered seeet milk-and-water, and toast and currant jelly, overnight) , about the pony. It really was as much as he could do, he don't mind confessing to me, to look them two young; things in the face, and think what a wicked old father of lies he had grown up to be. Howsomever, he went on a lying like a Trojan, about the pony. ”

“ Sitting-room and two bedrooms will be required. Chops and cherry-pudding for two!" and tucks her, in her little sky blue mantle, under his arm, and walks into the house much bolder than brass.
Boots leaves me to judge what the amazement of that establishment was, when those two tiny creatures all alone by themselves was marched into the Angel;—much more so, when he, who had seen them without their seeing him, give the governor his views of the expedition they was upon. "Cobbs," says the Governor, "if this is so, I must set off myself to York and quiet their friends' minds. ”

“ B
oots could assure me that it was better than a picter, and equal to a play, to see them babies with their long bright curling hair, their sparkling eyes, and their beautiful light tread, a rambling about the garden, deep in love. ”

“ What does that infant do—for infant you may call him and be within the mark—but cut away from that old lady's with his Norah,on a expedition to go to Gretna Green and be married I Sir, Boots was at this identical Holly-Tree Inn (having left it several times since to better himself, but always come back through one thing or another) , when, one summer afternoon, the coach drives up, and out of the coach gets them two children. The guard says to our governor, "I don't quite make out these little passengers, but the young gentleman's words was, that they was to be brought here." ”

“ If I was to ask Boots how it happened that he was going to leave that place just at that present time, well, he couldn't rightly answer me. lie did suppose he might have stayed there till now, if he had been anyways inclined. But, you see, he was younger then and wanted change. That's what he wanted—change. Mr. Walmers, he said to him when he give him notice of his intentions to leave, "Cobbs," he says, "have you anything to complain of? I make the inquiry, because if I find that any of my people really has anything to complain of, I wish to make it right if I can." "No, sir," says Cobbs ”