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there was nothing in his passenger, and considered he was a poor-spirited feller at first, was constrained to own that the major was a reserved but well-informed and meritorious officer. He ain't got distangy manners, dammy,' Bragg observed to his first mate; he wouldn't do at Government

House, Roper, where his lordship and Lady William was as kind to me, and shook hands with me before the whole company and asking me at dinner to take beer with him, before the commander-in-chief himself; he ain't got manners, but there's something about him- And thus Captain Bragg showed that he possessed discrimination as a man, as well as ability as a commander.

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But a calm taking place when the Ramchunder was within ten days' sail of England, Dobbin became so impatient and ill-humoured as to surprise those comrades who had before admired his vivacity and good temper. He did not recover until the breeze sprang up again, and was in a highly excited state when the pilot came on board. Good God, how his heart beat as the two friendly spires of Southampton came in sight!

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CHAPTER LVIII

OUR FRIEND THE MAJOR

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6

UR major had rendered himself so
popular on board the Ramchunder,
that when he and Mr. Sedley
descended into the welcome shore-
boat which was to take them from
the ship, the whole crew, men and
officers, the great Captain Bragg
himself leading off, gave three
cheers for Major Dobbin, who
blushed very much, and ducked
his head in token of thanks.
who very likely thought the cheers
were for himself, took off his gold-
laced cap and waved it majesti-
cally to his friends, and they were
pulled to shore and landed with
great dignity at the pier, whence

they proceeded to the Royal George' Hotel.

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Jos,

Although the sight of that magnificent round of beef, and the silver tankard suggestive of real British homebrewed ale and porter, which perennially greet the eyes of the traveller returning from foreign parts, who enters the coffee-room of the George', are so invigorating and delightful, that a man entering such a comfortable snug homely English inn, might well like to stop some days there, yet Dobbin began to talk about a post-chaise instantly, and was no sooner at Southampton than he wished to be on the road to London. Jos, however, would not hear of moving that evening. Why was he to pass the night in a post-chaise, instead of a great large undulating downy feather bed which was there ready to replace the horrid little narrow crib in which the portly Bengal gentleman had been confined during the voyage? He could not think of moving till his baggage was cleared, or of travelling until he could do so with his chillum. So the major was forced to wait over that night, and dispatched a letter to his family announcing his arrival; entreating from Jos a promise to

write to his own friends. Jos promised, but didn't keep his promise. The captain, the surgeon, and one or two passengers came and dined with our two gentlemen at the inn; Jos exerting himself in a sumptuous way in ordering the dinner and promising to go to town the next day with the major. The landlord said it did his eyes good to see Mr. Sedley take off his first pint of porter. If I had time and dared to enter into digressions, I would write a chapter about that first pint of porter drunk upon English ground. Ah, how good it is! It is worth while to leave home for a year, just to enjoy that one draught.

Major Dobbin made his appearance the next morning very neatly shaved and dressed, according to his wont. Indeed it was so early in the morning, that nobody was up in the house except that wonderful boots of an inn who never seems to want sleep; and the major could hear the snores of the various inmates of the house roaring through the corridors as he creaked about in those dim passages. Then the sleepless boots went shirking round from door to door, gathering up at each the Bluchers, Wellingtons, Oxonians, which stood outside. Then Jos's native servant arose and began to get ready his master's ponderous dressing apparatus, and prepare his hookah: then the maidservants got up, and meeting the dark man in the passages, shrieked, and mistook him for the devil. He and Dobbin stumbled over their pails in the passages as they were scouring the decks of the Royal George'. When the first unshorn waiter appeared and unbarred the door of the inn, the major thought that the time for departure was arrived, and ordered a post-chaise to be fetched instantly, that they might set off. He then directed his steps to Mr. Sedley's room, and opened the curtains of the great large family bed wherein Mr. Jos was snoring. Come, up, Sedley,' the major said, 'it's time to be off; the chaise will be at the door in half an hour.'

Jos growled from under the counterpane to know what the time was; but when he at last extorted from the blushing major (who never told fibs, however much they might be to his advantage) what was the real hour of the morning, he broke out into a volley of bad language, which we will not repeat here, but by which he gave Dobbin to understand that he would jeopardy his soul if he got up at that moment, that the major might go and be hanged, that he

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