Pickwick Abroad: A Companion to the Pickwick Papers — page 141: what you’re looking at

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

ed ” ie Os , * yritinig out the coal-bills last night. I Feste 8 % P “Henrietta is very fond of play- with the pens; and Master Matthew Beri slr fe does take’em.” - “Bring another, then,” cried Mr. Muggins, and when the pen was brought, he declared that he was, anything but satisfied about that apple-Mrt; and that nothing should him that no one had been to ‘the -decanter. He then muttered something Bioutg bushel of coals, and having motioned his servant eat of the room, accepted the persuade On the following morning, Captain Ho- ratio Clarence Walsingham succee in discounting thé acceptance of Mr. Peter Muggins in the city; and his first care was to treat himself with a bason of a ae and a glass of iced punch at Birch’s. , then purchased a watch at Mr. Cox Savory’s, and a ring of Messieurs Griffin and Hyam’s; and having thus ministered to his own ne- cessities, he proceeded to attend to those of the Company. He began by hiring a splendid set of offices in Bartholomew-lane, and forthwith purchased desks, tables, and chairs, to place in them. He, procured a painter, who painted the words “ Pustic - Orrice” upon one door; “ Wartine Room” , stranger came in. upon another; and “Boarp Room” upon a third. He then hired three individuals, who, under the denomination of clerks, were to sit at a desk in the Public Office, chatter d read the newspaper when they were alone, and apply themselves like madmen to three great books with clas Ss, when a A servant in blue livery, with white buttons, was also engaged to lounge about in the passage outside the entrance door which led to the offices; and a man, with printed prospectuses to give away, was stationed in the street. A general meeting of the Directors was then called and advertised, to discuss the business of the Company; but «4s there was as yet no business to occupy their attention, they discussed a copiov.s luncheon instead. In a few days, a paragraph was drawn up by the exce.lent Chairman, and inserted (upon paymer.t)in one or two of those daily papers whic’s do not put the word “Adver- tisement” at the beginning; and this para- graph stated that they (the papers) were informed upon the best authority that the materials which composed the Asphaltum ‘were derived from Asiatic sources; where- upon Mr. Snuffery, as treasurer and secre- tary, wrote a letter to all the journals to © PICKWICK ABROAD. “427 contradict this report ; and as the said letters were inserted for nothing, the Company gained its aim in obtaining publicity at the least possible expense Another paragraph, tending to show that the Asphaltum would never be applied to universal use, was then paid for and inserted 4 the Morning Teapot; and at this the lompany pretended to be in the most dire- ful wrath; so much so, that’ Messieurs ‘Rumrig and Sharp, the Company’ s solicitors; were in tructed to bring an action against the af said Morniny Teapot ; but, after a great deal of public display, letter-writing, _ pamphleteering, fending and proving, that eminent | firm declared it was. not necessary to proceed with the suit; and so’ the whole business was announced to haye been arranged in the most amicable manner possible. , A few shares were next issued, and pri- vate friends were sent round to’ purchase up these shares at a premiwm; so that the transaction took wind, and the Company succeeded in getting itself blamed for allow ing only the acquaintances of the Directors to profit by the speculation. The demand for are was therefore immediate and great; and when a piece of the pavement fronting the house in which the offices of the company were situate, was robbed of its stone and subjected to the process of the . Asphalte, the enthusiasm and credulity of the public in favor of this knew no bounds, A grand dinner was vern ; and Mr. Muggins was generously per- utted by the worthy Chairman to advance the Company another five hundred pounds Of course Captain weet could no longer remain in the three-pair back, which he had formerly ocoupied in the New Out. But Mr. Muggins had a ready-furnished house of his own in Broad street, ‘to let; and into this the eminent Chairman of the . Universal Stone-expeliing and Asphalte- | substituting Equitable Company speedily removed. With his usual prudence, 4 did not think it necessary to intimate to the public that he had just emerged from sc vulgar a region as the New Cut: he ac- cordingly had his arriyal in town, from Wal- singham Hall, Staffordshire, duly inser in the fashionable columns of the Morning Post and thence cop‘ed into the evening papers. ‘ | ij ~ eat institution — te, —¥ i) ne, by the Directors at the Oity of London Ta- a By Le ” (CO) AMUC (GO OO)