In Which Mr Headstone Makes a Resolution

The time of year being apposite to the making of resolutions, Mr. Headstone determined to resign his apprenticeship under Mr. Cruncher, and to look for more congenial employment. The schoolmaster together with his friends and acquaintances had gathered, as was their custom, at The Saracen’s Head to bid farewell to the old year and to welcome in the new. The pot boy was being kept in a state of perpetual motion, bringing in from the kitchen first some oysters, and then a pair of roast fowls, together with potatoes boiled and roasted, followed by a dish of stewed beef with vegetables, and a raised pie and a dish of kidneys, and then a tart and a shape of jelly, and, last but not least, the cheese and the celery. Whilst in the execution of these duties, the pot boy was hailed at regular intervals by members of the party for the provision of a quart of ale, a pint of champagne, a bowl of gin punch, a round of sherry cobblers, a flask of brandy, a pint of red wine, and a pint of white, and various other sundries. Having apprised the company of his present difficulties, Mr. Headstone was gratified to be in receipt of a number of suggestions with regard to his future prospects. Mr. Guppy advised him to try the Bar; Mr. Benjamin Allen and Mr. Bob Sawyer were in favour of the medical profession; Mr. Richard Swiveller claimed that the life of a jobbing clerk was not without its attractions. But of all the proffered suggestions he received, the schoolmaster was most taken with that of Mr. Micawber, who assured him that if he did nothing but wait, something was bound to turn up.