Pickwick Abroad: A Companion to the Pickwick Papers — page 165: what you’re looking at

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% ’ | _ BICKWICK ABROAD, his respected earehes re no sooner had he stept into the street than he espied Mr. Weller, senior, engaged in a terrible encoun- ter with the hackney-coach driver. A Gen- darme came up to the scene of action, almost at the same moment as Sam; and to the infinite delight of the latter, the officer was no other than the kind-hearted Dumont, whom accident had again sent to aid one of our English heroes in his difficulties. “You see, sir,” said Sam to the Gendarme, when the combatants were separated, “ that this here feller is my father, as is just come from England vith more money than brains. Ven purses is full, heads is empty ;—that’s a prowerb. So, happen vot vill, he must get his-self into all manner o’ scrapes, an’ messes, an’ unpleasantness.” “Wery true, my,” cried his father, winking an approval of all that his son was saying. “You're a super excellent patent never-failin’ alvays-goin’ ingine o’ defence, ou air, Samivel.” “But, thanks to you, sir,” ee Sam, addressing himself to the Gendarme, “ he’s out o’ this here mess now. So the best thing he can do is to come off vith me an’ see the gov’ner at vonce.” “Mr. Pickwick, I presume, is the gentle- man you allude to,” said Dumont. “ Precisely, sir,’ returned Sam. “In that case’, added the Gendarme, “ I will accompany you;—it is now a long time since I have seen your excellent mas- ter, whom I esteem highly ; and I shall be delighted to take advantage of this oppor- tunity of paying my respects to him.” Sam Weller and his father bade adieu to Messieurs Porrett and Knackers, and accom- anied the kind-hearted Dumont to Mr. Pickwick’s lodgings in the Rue Royale. Mr. Pickwick and his friends returned home at an earlier hour than Was their cus- tom when they went out to dine; and their astonishment when they encountered the elder Mr. Weller, may be readily imagired. Mr. Pickwick ordered his faithful domestic, Sam, to brew a mighty bowl of punch forthwith, and he and his father were al- lowed to sit down with the gentleman and partake sf it, to the infinite delight of the worthy Dumont, who was highly pleased with the picture of English sociability. - e 151 CHAPTER XXXII. . ; This is a short chapter, consisting chiefly of con- versation, but concluding with an announcement which may lead to something interesting here- after. eo * | “What a fortunate thing ‘it is that M. Dumont is invariably in the way to assist us or our friends, in all calamities,” observed. Mr. Pickwick, when they were comfortably seated round the table. “ A Gendarme sees many singular coinci-_ dences in his life,” observed Dumont: “ and, not the least extraordinary of my adven- tures was the detection of a murderer some few yeais ago at Aulnay-le-Vicomte. “How was that?” inquired Mr. Pick- wick. “Aye, wot wos it?” demanded old Mr. Weller, who thought it very polite to stick his hands upon his knees, round his arms, and stare at the Gendarme full in the face, in order to impress that individual with an idea that he was going to pay the greatest attention to all he said. “ About five years ago there was a dread- ful murder committed under aggravated circumstances of horror,” began Dumont, “in a bye-street in one of the worst quar- tersof Paris. ‘The victims were an old man and his wife,—the assassin was their own son! The murder was not discovered for some hours after it was perpetrated; and then every engine of the police—and you know we have the reputation of being the most cunning and skilful body of functiona- ries in the world—was set to work to de- tect the malefactor. But all agility, re- search, and investigation were useless: the criminal had evidently decamped from Pa- ris as soon as he had accomplished the bloody deed, and in process of time the matter was forgotten as much as those ter- rible episodes in the history of mankind ever can be obliterated fromthe memory, Three years passed away, and during that period I was employed principally in Paris and its environs. The biography of aGendarme is probably, the most singular that could be written ;—the reproach of want of interest or sameness never could reasonably be ap- plied to it. And, in truth, during those three years I saw much to grieve, to asto- nish, and enlighten me. The intrigues of the police, ‘the crimes to which sad poverty is compelled to have recourse, and the won- derful celery with which they nearly all are discovered as rapidly as they are accom- a = EO LOO) <S (CO)