Pickwick Abroad: A Companion to the Pickwick Papers — page 12: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

< Y ~*~ G * “ Well, then, sam,” continued his master, “the moment the ladder is put down—and they are about it. now, I see—hasten on shore, and procure us one of those vehicles to conduct us to the hotel.” “Certainly, sir;? and Mr. Weller was about to execute the commission, when, suddenly recollecting himself, he said, “ Beg “pardon, sir; but wouldn’t it be more adwis- able to state the name of the hotel in ques- tion ?” : | “ Meurice’s. hotel,” suggested Mr. Win- kle, “ Where there is a pretty chambermaid,” added Mr. Tupman—a piece of information he hit collected at Dever. | “Am I to make that latter statement, sir?” said Mr. Weller, touching his hat. “No—I think not, Sam,’ answered Mr. Pickwick, after a moment’s deliberation. “Y don’t think it can be necessary, unless Tupman particularly wishes it.” “Oh! no—not I! said that gentleman, “provided the information be correct.” __ “Wery good !” cried Mr. Weller; and in a moment he stood upon, the quay. “J speaks English, young man,” said.a shabby-genteel individual, in an oil-skin cap; “ what hotel do you want ?” “ Wery ’appy to’ear you speaks English,” observed Sam, eyeing his new friend from top to toe; “and wery satisfact’ry it must be to the English nobility as wisits these parts.” “What hotel do you want?” inquired the man, who was a commissioner. “Dessin’s, to be sure!” roared another commissioner, or touter. “ Quillacq’s !” exclaimed a third. “ Bourbon Condé!” cried a fourth. “Many inwitations exhibits velcome,” said Sam. “ But it’s neither Dessing’s, nor Killack’s, nor Bare-bone country, that ull suit us, cos ve air partickler. Howsomever, if any o’ you wery obliging gemlemen ’ull jist inform me vich o’ them there helegant Peniac consarns vill take us to Murrisses ot-tel, the adwise vill be wery thankfully veceived, as the patient said to the quack loctor.” “T say, Jem, here’s a start !” exclaimed a short gentleman in a long black coat and hair cap, “this here chap’s a-come to puzzle the Frenchmen.” “He must get up infernally early in the morning, then, Bill,” observed the individual to whom the above remark was addressed. “It is jist vithin the range o’ possibility PICKWICK ABROAD. / , « 4 ° % 7 to do you, old touch-and-go,” retorted Sam, “ perwided Idoesn’t go to bed at all.” In the mean time the carriage, which be-. longed to Meurice’s hotel, and the coach- man of which had been duly advertised, by some commissioner, of Mr. Weller’s demand, drove up to the very spot where the pass engers were already landing. * “Well, Sam,” said Mr. Pickwick, when that faithful domestic descended the accom- modation-ladder, and once more stood upon | the deck of the vessel, “is the carriage feady ?y. # “Tf them ’ere green painted boards, vith Jeather aperns attached to ’em, standing on four veels, and dragged by two such beast esses as | never see, is a carriage, sir,” re turned Sam, “then that ds the heckipage.” “Oh! very well, Sam,” said Mr. Pick- wick, benignly smiling at his servant’s hu- mor, and putting himself at the head of the little detachment of his followers to ascend the accommodation-ladder. But no sooner had Mr. Pickwick set his left foot on the last bar of the ladder, and grasped the rail- ing with his right hand, than another tre- mendous shout arose to welcome his arrival; and had not Mr. Weller given his revered and respected master a compulsive and im- pelling shove behind, it is more than proba- ble that Mr. Pickwick would have remained standing at the bottom of the ladder till the arrival of the high tide should have enabled him to step on shore, by raising the vessel to a level with the quay. | Now it happened that there was present, on this memorable occasion, an English sporting character, who writes a good deal | on sporting matters, and has created for himself a species of reputation 1n the sport- ing world,—for in no other sphere could he, | nor did he ever shite:—and, as there is a kind of freemasonry existing between all great or literarv men, the said sporting character deemed it his duty, to make a speech’ in honor of Mr. Pickwick’s arrival, Animated by so noble a resolution, and hay- ing already informed a few of his elegant English acquaintances resident in Calais, that such was his intention, the said sport- ing character stepped jauntily forward, and confronting the bewildered Mr. Pickwick in the very path which the crowd formed by respectfully drawing away on either side, began as follows : “ Most illustrious and welcome Pickwick, —all hail on the shores of France! and when I say ‘all hail!’ it is not the voice of a r ~ =. ¥ ee GO 6)(0\6) <S (EO) m