Pickwick Abroad: A Companion to the Pickwick Papers — page 64: what you’re looking at

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— 4S — d4 a presence of mind that few individuals could boast of, seized hold of a glass of strong negus, and tossed the pleasant mixture off at a draught. So praiseworthy an example could not do otherwise than find disciples; and Messieurs Boozie and Scuttle instantly performed the same cere- mony. Messieurs Tupman and Winkle now re- joined their friends; but to their astonish- ment Mr. Scuttle stared first at one, and then at the other, in a manner exceedingly embarrassing to the two gentlemen in ques- tion. “ Acquaintances of your’s, sir, I presume ?” said Mr. Scuttle, appealing to Mr. Pick- wick. “ What ! do you not recollect them ?” de- manded Mr. Pickwick, in astonishment not _ unmixed with anger. “I introduced them as— “God bless me!” exclaimed Mr. Scuttle, hastily. “I declareI quite forgot. you. A thousand pardons—but you know how ab- sent I am.” Mr. Tupman and Mr. Winkle of course laughed as heartily as propriety and po- itesse permitted them ; and Mr. Boozie had already begun a story, when Mr. Scuttle again seized upon the conversation as his own exclusive right. : “Dreadful thing, this perpetual absenc of mind,” said that gentleman: “it gets me into a thousand scrapes. An aunt of mine died a few months ago, and left me a pleasant litt e fortune. I therefore deter- mined to biry her with meet honors, and issued cards accordingly. But in a mo- ment of distraction, 1 summoned. about thirty guests fo my aunt’s ‘marriage’ in- stead of ‘funeral; and sure enough they came in gay «ttire and white gloves. I never was so :.shamed in my life, I can assure you.” 3 | “YT can easily fancy that,” said Mr. Pick- wick, “Can you?” said Mr. Scuttle. “ Well, that’s very kind o you. But, I think, gen- tlemen,” he adde!, addressing himself to _ Messieurs Tupman and Winkle, “ that if you mean to dance aga,a, you had better make haste.” | This hint was iminediately attended to; and in another mim te those illustrious in- dividuals were capeng away like Bedlam- ites, “ Pray, have you been long in France ?’ inquired Mr, Pickwick, having assured him- nu PICKWICK ABROAD. + self, by a cursory glance, that his followers were amusing themselves in a highly cre ditable and innocent manner. : “Several years, my dear sir,” replied Mr. Scuttle. “TI intended to visit Hollan., and accordingly embarked in the ‘first steam-vessel that was destined for the Con-— tinent, without thinking of inquiring to . which country or port it was bound. Con- celve my astonishment, when, a light-house. and a couple of towers appearing in the distance, the captain assured me, in answer to an inquiry, that we were about to land at Calais. I therefore determined to. hasten to Brussels immediately, and thence pass into, Holland; but I caused my pass- port to be signed for Paris by mistake, and did not think it worth while to correct the error,” “And you are fond of Paris, sir?” said Mr. Boozie, fidgetting his wig: “ that is—I mean—you like it.” ‘ “Oh! decidedly !” replied Mr. Scuttle : “there is no city in the world to be com- pared to it. Even this very hotel is equal, in size and splendor, to most of the royal palaces in England. At a future day I shall have the pleasure of escorting you to the Tuileries, and will then leave you to judge for yourselves.” | Psi We do not find, in the private notes. of Mr. Pickwick, any account of the manner in which Messieurs Tupman and Winkle acquitted themselves in the last guadrille, with their fair partners. We therefore pre- sume that nothing extraordinary occurred to interrupt the harmony of the evening, which passed away as most evenings of the same kind usually do. It. was about twelve o'clock when Mr. Scuttle proposed to retire; but this was objected to by Mr. Boozie, and slightly re- monstrated against by Mr. Pickwick, those two gentlemen being somewhat anxious to wait for supper. “Supper!” exclaimed Mr. Scuttle; “at. the English Ambassador's house! Oh!— no—never, my dear sirs—never. Not even if he were as absent as J, would he, im a most extreme state of oblivion, so far forget. his prudential and economical arrangements, as to give supper.” . an “In that case, then, we had better depart, and get some at the hotel,” said Mr. Pick- wick. (iain | “Not for me,” returned Mr. Scuttle. “Whenever I eat supper, I. invariably walk in my sleep, or have the night: 2 CONnNIEDOOKS (C(O)