Pickwick Abroad: A Companion to the Pickwick Papers — page 259: what you’re looking at

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A NOVEL WITHOUT A HERO. 27 Cuff, and down came the wicket again on| you know I’m used to it.” But Figs, all the child’s hand. Don’t be horrified, ladies,| whose limbs were in a quiver, and whose every boy at a public school has done it.| nostrils were breathing rage, put his little Your children will so do and be done by, in| bottle-holder aside, and went in for a fourth all probability. Down came the wicket) time. again; and Dobbin started up. As he did not in the least know how to I can’t tell what his motive was. Tor-| parry the blows that were aimed at himself, ture in a public school is as much licensed | and Cuff had begun the attack on the three as the knout in Russia. It would be ungen-| preceding occasions, without ever allowing tlemanlike (in a manner) to resist it. Per-| his enemy to strike, Figs now determined haps Dobbin’s foolish soul revolted against| that he would commence the engagement that exercise of tyranny; or, perhaps, he| by a charge on his own part; and accord- had a hankering feeling of revenge in his| ingly, being a left-handed man, brought that mind, and longed to measure himself against | arm into action, and hit out a couple of times that splendid bully and tyrant, who had all; with all his might—once at Mr. Cuff’s left the glory, pride, pomp, circumstance, ban-| eye, and once on his beautiful Roman nose. ners flying, drums beating, guards saluting,| Cuff went down this time, to the aston- inthe place. Whatever may have been his| ishment of the assembly. ‘‘ Well hit, by incentive, however, up he sprang, and| Jove,” says little Osborne, with the air of a screamed out, ‘* Hold off, Cuff; don’t bully | connoisseur, clapping his man on the back. that child any more; or I’ll + ‘Give it him with the left, Figs, my boy.” ‘‘Or you'll, what ?”’ Cuff asked in amaze-| Figs’ left made terrific play during all the ment at this interruption. ‘* Hold out your) rest of the combat. Cuff went down-every hand, you little beast.’’ time. At the sixth round, there were al- “ll give you the worst thrashing you/ most as many fellows shouting out, ‘ Go it, ever had in your life,” Dobbin said, in reply | Figs,” as there were youths exclaiming, to the first part of Cuff’s sentence; and lit-| ‘Go it, Cuff.’ At the twelfth round the tle Osborne, gasping and in tears, looked up| latter champion was all abroad, as the say- with wonder and incredulity at seeing this | ing is, and had lost all presence of mind and amazing champion put up suddenly to defend | power of attack or defense. Figs, on the him: while Cuff’s astonishment was scarce- | contrary, was as calm as a Quaker. His face ly less. Fancy our late monarch, George | being quite pale, his eyes shining open, and Iil., when he heard of the revolt of the| a great cut on his under lip bleeding profuse- North American colonies: fancy brazen Go- | ly, gave this young fellow a fierce and ghastly hath, when little David stepped forward and| air, which perhaps struck terror into many claimed a meeting: and you have the feel-| spectators. Nevertheless, his intrepid ad- ings of Mr. Reginald Cuff when this ren-| versary prepared to close for the thirteenth counter was proposed to him. time. ‘‘ After school,’’ says he, of course; after If I had the pen of a Napier, or a Bell’s a pause and a look, as much as to say,| Life, J] should like to describe this combat ‘Make your will, and communicate your! properly. It was the last charge of the best wishes to your friends between this| Guard—(that is, 7t would have been, only time and that.” Waterloo had not yet taken place)—it was ‘¢As you please,’ Dobbin said. ‘+ You} Ney’s column breasting the hill of La Haye must be my bottle-holder, Osborne.” Sainte, bristling with ten thousand bayonets, “Well, if you like,” little Osborne re-| and crowded with twenty eagles—it was the plied ; for you see his papa kept a carriage, | shout of the beef-eating British, as leaping and he was rather ashamed of his champion. | down the hill they rushed to hug the enemy in the savage arms of battle—in other words, Yes, when the hour of battle came, he | Cuff, coming up full of pluck, but quite reel- was almost ashamed to say, ‘Go it, Figs ;” | ing and groggy, the Fig-merchant put in his and not a single other boy in the plage utter- | left as usual on his adversary’s nose, and ed that cry for the first two or three rounds) sent him down for the last time. of this famous combat; at the commence-| ‘I think that will do for him,” Figs said, ment of which the scientific Cuff, with a! as his opponent dropped as neatly on the contemptuous smile on his face, and as light green as I have seen Jack Spot’s ball plump and as gay as if he was at a ball, planted his | into the pocket at billiards; and the fact is, blows upon his adversary, and floored that when time was called, Mr. Reginald Cuff icky champion three times running. At was not able, or did not choose to stand up each fall there was a cheer; and every body again. was anxious to have the honor of offering; And now all the boys set up such a shout the conquerer a knee. ‘for Figs as would make you think he had ‘‘What a licking I shall get when it’s been their darling champion through the over,’’ young Osborne thought, picking up whole battle; and as absolutely brought Dr. his man. ‘* You'd best give in,” he said to | Swishtail out of his study, curious to know Dobbin; ‘it’s only a thrashing, Figs, and , the cause of the uproar. He threatened to econnicbooks.€@