text:  It was not therefore without considerable astonishment that one morning at breakfast in my room after devouring in rigid silence a commons of broiled ham for two and the last number of _Pickwick_ (John seldom laughed but read "Boz" as gravely as he would Aristotle ) we heard him open his heart as follows:-- "I say old fellow where do you think I am going to put up this vacation?" "Really John you're such an odd fellow it's impossible to guess; if it had been summer I shouldn't have been at all surprised to hear of your having pitched a tent at Bullingdon or hired a house-boat and lived Chinese fashion on the river; but I suppose you would hardly think of that plan at this time of the year