Pickwick Abroad: A Companion to the Pickwick Papers — page 74: what you’re looking at

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64 But these plans were in some measure doomed to be disconcerted; for when Mr. Pickwick, Mr. Tupman, and Mr. Winkle entered their sitting-room, their visual or- gans made them aware ef the fact that the chair on one side of the fire was occupied by. Mr. Jeremiah Scuttle, who was sedu- lously occupied in the perusal of Mr. Pick- wick’s note-book, which had accidentally been left upon the mantel-piece. _ “Ah! Mr. Pickwick—Mr. Tupman—Mr. Winkle, how are you?” exclaimed Mr. Scuttle. “God bless me! Why—I de- clare, that in a fit of absence I have been reading your private memoranda, my dear sir!’ he added, with a look of astonish- ment at the mysterious pocket-book he held in his hand. “ Oh ! never mind,” cried the good-natured Mr. Pickwick, his conscience experiencing a slight twinge of remorse for the beating he had bestowed upon Mr. Scuttle on a certain occasion. “However—you know how absent I am!” continued Mr. Scuttle. “ Indeed, it was only yesterday morning that I was go- ing to add fresh fuel to the fire in my study, | and what do you think I did ?” “ Let the fire go out, I suppose,” said Mr. Pickwick, with a smile at the supposed shrewdness of his guess. | “No such thing, my dear sir,” said Mr. _ Scuttle. “I put achunk of wood, with my _ spectacles on it, in my easy chair, and threw myself on the fire as a back-log. Luckily there was no flame—or else I might have been burnt to death.” “Very true,” coimcided Mr. Pickwick. “Therefore, if youre so imprudent with regard to vourself, I beg you not to mind the inadvertency you have just committed relative tomy memoranda.” “ Well—that is kind of you,” said Mr. Scuttle, resuming his seat. “I took the liberty of calling upon you—for you must know that I don’t live here any longer; I ook lodgings about eight or ten days ago for the purpose of inviting you and your friends to a small party next Monday at my niece’s residence in the Rue Taitbout— Chaussée d’ Autin—if you be not better en- gaged.” There was no allusion as yet to the memorable combat which had taken place in Mr, Pickwick’s chamber, as detailed in a preceding chapter. Mr. Tupman thought that the niece must ‘be a young, and very probably a pretty woman: he therefore hastened to accept of PICKWICK ABROAD. , Sirol oy 4 “ ‘ the invitation on his own account, suggest. ing, at the same time, that he did not think his friends would, be otherwise occupied. To this bold assertion Mr. Pickwick and. Mr. Winkle assented; and Mr. Scuttle was enchanted at the success of his mission ; in- deed, it appeared that he had quite forgot- ten the disagreeable adventure alluded to above. “My niece is a widow, Mr. Pickwick,” said Mr. Scuttle, while Mr. Tracy Tupman heaved a deepsigh: “her name is Weston —Mrs. Weston—and a very handsome per- son she is, too, I flatter myself,” continued Mr. Scuttle, to the unutterable delight o the late admirer of Mademoiselle Anasta- sie de Volage. “This is her card—I shall leave it, in case you forget the address ;”’— and the card was accordingly entrusted to the secure keeping of the looking-glass frame forthwith. e “You are very kind, indeed !” exclaimed Mr. Pickwick, “and we shall do ourselves the honor to accept your generous invita- tion.” “Thank you—thank you!” cried Mr. Scut- tle. “I shall, notwithstanding my absence, never forget that !” ' ' “Perhaps you will dine with us to-day ?” suggested Mr, Pickwick. | Mr. Scuttle, who, though an eccentric man, was neither a selfish one nor an ad- venturer, declined the invitation on the plea of a prior engagement, and then took his leave, CHAPTER XIV. Mr. Tupman encounters an old acquaintance.— Mr. Adolphus Crashem again cuts a conspicuous figure in these Memoirs.—Pecuniary embarrass- ments, and the truly laughable adventure they engender.—Mr. Tupman adopts a novel costume. Trmz—that space which Cicero designated as a small portion of eternity, and which the English usually mark by certain daily potations of gin—time passed quickly away ; and already was the day arrived on which the admired niece of Mr. Jeremiah Scuttle was to give her select sezree. On this memorable day, Mr. Pickwick and Mr. Winkle received letters from England, which obliged them to devote several hours to business ; and Mr. Tupman, thus thrown, like an individual just ejected from a work- Goim, GOmicdoc cS