"
"Oh! never mind the details. I hate the jargon of Art. I only wished to
assure myself that I am not to be imposed on. Well, I think I will risk
it, and go in. You can put us on a front seat, I suppose?"
"First come, first served," said Tiffles, amiably, for he had reckoned
up, and found that this party brought him a dollar and a quarter,
counting the children as half prices, and the baby free.
"Under these circumstances we will go in, though I must confess I expect
to be disappointed. You will excuse my plain speaking." The thick-set
gentleman thereupon thrust a hand into a pocket, and produced--not a
huge roll of bank bills, or a half pint of silver, as Marcus, who eyed
him sharply through the pigeon hole, had expected, but--a card, which he
poked at Tiffles.
Tiffles recognized it at the first glance. It was one of thirty
complimentary tickets that he had caused to be distributed among the
leading men of the village that morning, by advice of the landlord; and
it bore the name of "C. Skimmerhorn, Esq."
"Welcome, sir, welcome!" said Tiffles, as he observed the dollar and a
quarter disappear from his mental horizon, and felt that, but for his
indomitable good nature, he would like to kick C.
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