67
It's a very unfortunate thing," said the prim man. "Just as were
getting so comfortable, too
It's hardly to be borne," said the prim man, looking round.
Hardly to be borne, is it
Not to be endured," replied Jack Hopkins; "let's have the other
verseBobComehere goes J
No, no, Jack, don't," interposed Bob Sawyer; "it's a capital song,
but I am afraid we had better not have the other verse. They are
very violent people, the people of the house."
Shall I step upstairs, and pitch into the landlord?" inquired
Hopkins, "or keep on ringing the bell, or go on and groan on the
staircase? You may command me, Bob."
All this is just what one would expect of a young man with a taste
for thunder-and-lightning buttons
Also revealing his character are the revealing buttons of Sloppy in
OUR MUTUAL FRIEND:
Of an ungainly make was Sloppy. Too much of him longwise, too little
of him broadwise, and too many sharp angles on him anglewise. One of
those shambling male human creatures borne to be indiscretely candid in
the revelation of buttons; every button he had about him glaring at the
public to a quite preternatural extend. A considerable capital of knee
and elbow and wrist and ankle had Sloppy, and didn'd know how to
dispose of it to the best advantage, but was always investing it in
wrong securities, and so getting himsel into embarassing circumstances.
Full-Private Number One in the Awkward Squad of the rank and file of
life was Sloppy, and yet had his glimmering notions of standing true
to the colours."
When Sloppy called to see John Rokesmith at the Boffin mansion he
was announced by the butler who took the greatest exception to having
to deal with such a person, and especially with a person owning to
such a name as Sloppy. Nevertheless, the man made the announcement.
"The footman who communicated this intelligence made a decent pause
before uttering the name to express that it was forced on his
reluctance by the youth in question. Sloppy being introduced,
remained close to the door, revealing in various parts of his form
many surprising, confounding, and incomprehensible buttons."
