Pickwick Abroad: A Companion to the Pickwick Papers — page 22: what you’re looking at

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4 16 display of his knowledge on all. sporting- matters. - “A. disease. common among horses, I presume, Sir?” remarked Mr. Pickwick, with the utmost suavity and innocence. Mr. Crashem. pronounced. somewhat em- phatically the name of “ Walker !” and then ~ as strenuously adjured the presence of that portion of a certain edible called “Gam- mon ;” after which he appeared rather dis- concerted for a few minutes, and then varied the amusement he gratuitously and liberally afforded Mr. Pickwick and Mr. Winkle, by whistling with peculiar taste and elegance some half-dozen notes of that. highly popu- lar song, “ Bartlemy Fair.” But, with the versatility incidental to all great minds, Mr. Crashem speedily became. wearied of test- ing his musical powers: he, accordingly ceased his melodious whistling with admir- able abruptness, and turning shortly round upon Mr. Winkle, who almost put up his arm to avoid a blow, observed “ What a rum thing life actually was!” — Mr. Winkle gladly murmured an affirma- tive, when he Sav that no violence was in- tended. a by “And yet,” moralized the too sensitive Mr. Adolphus Crashem, “one must pay tolerably dear for initiation into its myster- les! You won't believe it, perhaps—but it’s as true as you’re sitting there,—that I didn’t know anything of the world—-in fact, I was.as green.as grass, and was frequently done so exceedingly brown, that I now only wonder at my own folly—until I had a>tu- ally run through, upwards of two hundred thousand pounds!” | “God. bless me!” exclaimed Mr. Pick- wick, “ that is four times as much as I made during thirty years, while I was in busi- ness as a wholesale draper.” 7 “And a very pretty little fortune it would be, vested in the funds,” observed | Mr. Winkle. Mr. Adolphus ,Crashem would probably have amused Mr. Pickwick and Mr. Winkle with other and more interesting stories still, had not the door of the coffee-room sud- denly opened, and Mr. Tupman appeared before his friends, who made many anxious inquiries concerning his health. A smile of triumph curled Mr. Tupman’s lips, but a long and palpable scratch was depicted upon his countenance; and when he re- quested to be informed if dinner was nearly ready, he forgot the agonies he had en- -dured at his morning’s repast. PICKWICK ABROAD. every morning, ‘with spices ! ; 4 ; . ' ? When Mr. Winkle had duly satisfied ‘Mr. Tupman’s curiosity relative to the proximity of the dinner-hour, the latter gentleman was introduced in due form to Mr. Adolphus Crashem ; and a great many new compliments were invented and ex- changed upon the dccasion, Precisely at six o'clock a large tray, behind which walked a waiter, entered the coffee-room, and Mr. Pickwick, Mr. Tupman, Mr. Winkle and Mr. Adolphus Crashem, sate down to | a most succulent dinner, Mr. Adolphus Crashem having voted Mr. Pickwick into the chair, and advised him, at the same time, to use his own discretion, and follow . the dictates of his own taste iff issuing his orders for wine, dc. as the amount of the’ bill might easily be divided amongst them on the following morning. To this delicate and polite arrangement, Mr. Pickwick, with the humility which formed so remarkable a trait in the character of that truly great man, for some time objected; but Mr. Adolphus Crashem persisted in his’ deter- mination that Mr. Pickwick ie, hy e, > and as president should order what he chose; so the matter was not argued any farther—and Mr. Crashem’s proposition was © unanimously agreed to. “ Wonderful fellow that Mr. Pickwick |” said Mr, Adolphus Crashem to Mr.. Winkle, ~ in a whisper evidently intended to be heard by the great man himself. “ How admir- ably he serves the soup !—a regular trump, eh ?” ata “Excellent!” exclaimed Mr. Winkle, — totally ignorant whether his new acquaint- ance alluded to Mr. Pickwick or the soup. “Tell him’ to order Bordeaux-Laffitte, my dear fellow,”.added Mr Crashem, in a low whisper this time, that was nof intended ~ to be heard. “’Tis the best wine in this hotel. I have not drank less than four bottles every day since I have been here; and, by the bye, there isa French count living in the hotel, who not only drinks it instead of water, but actually bathes in it | Excellent bath—hot claret “So I should suppose,” observed Mr Winkle, who did not choose to appear ies rant of such matters, which Mr. Cra seemed to regard as quite common-place. “The devil you would!” thought Mr. Crashem; and while this gentleman was occupied in that and similar satisfactory re- flections, Mr. Winkle whispered to Mr Tupman, and Mr. Tupman whispered to Mr. , @ Go LOOKS (E(@)