Mr. Omer had made room for me, and placed a chair. He Free eBooks at Planet eBook.com 1 now sat down again very much out of breath, gasping at his pipe as if it contained a supply of that necessary, without which he must perish. I am sorry to have heard bad news of Mr. Barkis, said I. Mr. Omer looked at me, with a steady countenance, and shook his head. Do you know how he is tonight? I asked. The very question I should have put to you, sir, returned Mr. Omer, but on account of delicacy. Its one of the drawbacks of our line of business. When a partys ill, we cant ask how the party is. The difficulty had not occurred to me; though I had had my apprehensions too, when I went in, of hearing the old tune. On its being mentioned, I recognized it, however, and said as much.

Yes, yes, you understand, said Mr. Omer, nodding his head. We dursnt do it. Bless you, it would be a shock that the generality of parties mightnt recover, to say Omer and Jorams compliments, and how do you find yourself this morning? or this afternoon as it may be. Mr. Omer and I nodded at each other, and Mr. Omer recruited his wind by the aid of his pipe. Its one of the things that cut the trade off from attentions they could often wish to show, said Mr. Omer. Take myself. If I have known Barkis a year, to move to as he went by, I have known him forty years. But I cant go and say, how is he? I felt it was rather hard on Mr. Omer, and I told him so. Im not more self-interested, I hope, than another man, 

David Copperfield said Mr. Omer. Look at me! My wind may fail me at any moment, and it aint likely that, to my own knowledge, Id be self-interested under such circumstances. I say it aint likely, in a man who knows his wind will go, when it DOES go, as if a pair of bellows was cut open; and that man a grandfather, said Mr. Omer. I said, Not at all. It aint that I complain of my line of business, said Mr. Omer. It aint that. Some good and some bad goes, no doubt, to all callings. What I wish is, that parties was brought up stronger-minded. Mr. Omer, with a very complacent and amiable face, took several puffs in silence; and then said, resuming his first point:

Accordingly were obleeged, in ascertaining how Barkis goes on, to limit ourselves to Emly. She knows what our real objects are, and she dont have any more alarms or suspicions about us, than if we was so many lambs. Minnie and Joram have just stepped down to the house, in fact (shes there, after hours, helping her aunt a bit), to ask her how he is tonight; and if you was to please to wait till they come back, theyd give you full particlers. Will you take something? A glass of srub and water, now? I smoke on srub and water, myself, said Mr. Omer, taking up his glass, because its considered softening to the passages, by which this troublesome breath of mine gets into action. But, Lord bless you, said Mr. Omer, huskily, it aint the passages thats out of order! Give me breath enough, said I to my daughter Minnie, and Ill find passages, my dear.