Pickwick Abroad: A Companion to the Pickwick Papers — page 83: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

_s rn PICKWICK ABROAD. eyes dark blue and languishing—her teeth peculiarly white—and her bust remarkably well formed. She received Mr. Pickwick and Mr. Winkle with a sweet smile, and ex- pressed the pleasure she experienced in be- coming acquainted with two such eminently distinguished gentlemen. «Ym very glad youre come,” said Mr. Scuttle to Mr. Pickwick; “ but where is your friend Tupman ?” : _“ Obliged to go out of town on very press- ie business, my dear Sir,” returned Mr. ickwick, somewhat hastily. “ I most sin- cerely regret—” “Oh! it is a mutual loss,” interrupted Mr. - Scuttle; “ I should have been happy to have introduced him to my amiable niece— and he would have lost nothing by her acquaintance.” “Uncle Jerry—uncle Jerry’—exclaimed Mrs. Weston, playfully tapping Mr. Scuttle’s arm with her fan. “ Well, well, my dear,” said Mr. Scuttle, laughing; “ I must leave these gentlemen to find out your good qualities by themselves, I suppose. But what do you think I did the other day?” continued Mr. Scuttle, address- ing himself to Mr. Pickwick. 3 « T really don’t know,” said Mr. Pickwick; “ but I hope you will tell me.” “ Why,” rejoined Mr. Scuttle, “ I was smoking my meerschum down stairs in a back parlor, and my niece was seated at the table reading to me, when, in a moment of absence, I took up her fore-finger and used it instead of the tobacco-stopper.” “ Indeed,” said Mr. Pickwick. “That was an oversight not easily forgiven.” “Oh! T-assure you, Mr. Pickwick,” ex- claimed the amiable widow, “ that that is nothing to some of uncle Jerry’s inadverten- cies. About a month ago, I sent him to my shoe-maker to order up some satin slippers —and—but, I never can tell the result ;” and Mrs, Weston hid her face with her fan, and tittered behind it in a manner at once in- teresting and agreeable to a degree. “ Oh! nonsense, my dear,” added Mr. Scut- tle. “I merely sent up a half-a-dozen pairs of top-boots instead of the satin shoes; that was not so very bad, was it, Mr. Pickwick?” _ The gentleman thus appealed to, respond- ed with a smile, and Mrs. Weston retreated to another part of the room to receive a stout lady and her train of seven marriageable ighters who.arrived at the moment. Sharming woman—eh, Mr. Pickwick ?” . Scuttie, alluding to his niece. said —— eee Eee EEEEeEeEeEeEe—E—————EE—EE 73 “ Mrs, Weston appears to be a very ami- able lady,” was the courteous answer. ~ Mr. Pickwick was shortly summoned through the mediwm of an intimation on the part of Mr. Scuttle, to attach himself as the favored satellite to the sphere, occupied by Mrs. Weston ; and as that lady was more intent upon provding for the comforts of her guests, than for her own, Mr. Pickwick’s office was not a very arduous one. Indeed, he has since declared that it was not with- out its charms. Mr. Scuttle himself, ina moment of the most praiseworthy gallantry, entered upon the undisputed task of ministering to an aged lady whose. auricular powers were none of the clearest; and it is but due to her extreme patience and good-humor to . mention, that when Mr. Scuttle, in a mo- mentary fit of absence, laid the whole of a cold partridge upon her, plate instead of helping her to the wing of a fowl which she had requested, not a murmur of disap- probation escaped her lips. Nor less did the excellent and kind-hearted old lady dis- pose of the nine glasses of Madeira which her cavalier, in the same strain of mental aberration, poured out for her, At length the ladies rose from the table, and retired to the music-room; and then the gentlemen occupied the seats thus desirably relinquished to them, Mr. Scuttle ordered in a fresh supply of wine and to judge by the maniier in which a German Count, and a few others, com- menced their attack upon the viands, one would have thought that the supper was the town of Antwerp, and the guests the French soldiers conducting the siege. The clock had already struck one, when’ Mr. Pickwick thought of retiring. He in- timated his intention to Mr. Winkle, and they accordingly hastened to take leave of their kind host and hostess. Mrs. Weston bowed politely to Mr. Winkle; but she ex- tended her hand to Mr. Pickwick, and it struck that gentleman that a slight pressure of the fingers on the part of the widow ex- presged her satisfaction at having formed is acquaintance. He therefore bestowed upon her one of his most benevolent smiles, and when he had gone through the same ceremony with Mr, Scuttle, withdrew from the apartment, followed by Mr. Winkle. It may be readily supposed that, when Mr. Weller made his appearance in Mr Pickwick’s room on the enSuing, morning with a smiling, countenance and a jug of MICOOO® <S (c©) im