Pickwick Abroad: or, The Tour in France — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

PICKWICK ABROAD. 3 forthwith spread like wildfire through the town, and ispired the con- ducteur of a diligence with the notable resolution of performing his journey to Paris in one hour less time than usual, in order to calry the joyful tidings to the French metropolis as early as possible. At about ten o’clock A. m., a small boat, rowed by two stout sailors and containing two or three other individuals seated at the stern, was seen slowly moving up the harbour against a strong tide. A great and visible agitation immediately pervaded the crowd assembled upon the port, and a few respectably dressed Englishmen, mm dirty shooting- jackets and battered hats, immediately exclaimed, ‘‘ Here is the im- mortal Pickwick!” But as the bark drew nearer to the quay, it was ascertained that it was merely a fishing-boat filled with hermngs, and the crew, and curiosity thus remained ungratified for a short space longer. No sooner had the excitement caused by this false alarm subsided, than it was rumoured that a courier had only a few moments back gal- loped into the town at a tremendous rate, his horse foaming at the mouth, and himself covered with mud; and report moreover declared that the said courier had been despatched from Boulogne to assure the mayor and worthy inhabitants of Calais that Mr. Pickwick and his followers had landed at the port of the former town. This was, how- ever, speedily contradicted, it being satisfactorily ascertained that the ewift horstman was merely a master-butcher of Boulogne in search of & runaway apprentice. It cannot be wondered at if these disappointments created a painful suspense, and gave a keener edge to the curiosity of the assembled multitude. It has indeed been subsequently whispered that the op- portunities were eagerly sought and turned to advantage by two or three individuals, who, without being actually on the list of convey- ancers, proved themselves to be very skilful ones, in the removal of sundry pocket-handkerchiefs, &c. ; and it is no less a fact calculated to startle and shame London practitioners in the inns of court, that the business was most effectually done without deed or document, and in such perfect tranquillity and secresy, that the property was duly conveyed from one individual to another unkuown at the moment to the principal party concemed. hen suspense and anxiety were at their ucmost, the smoke of a steam- packet was pererves in the distance, sea-ward, and beyond the long range of’ sand-hills that skirts the coast. A momentary feelit: of indescribable awe seized upon the crowd, and then a long an simultaneous shout expressed the fondness of the anticipation that was to be found in every breast. At the same moment the hats of several private individuals stationed amongst the multitude were pro- pelled with violence over their eyes; anc this facetious display of a generally prevalent good feeling on the occasion, was considered the most beautiful and affecting portion of the welcome awaiting the arrival of him who had filled worlds with his fame. These instances of extreme hilarity were, however, objected to by certain selfish and discontented persons—n circumstance admirably calculated to illus trate the ingratitude of the world, and the jealousy existing betwee ai truly great mien. , The steam-vessel shortly hove in sight, and glided rapidly over the a S 5} a 6)(0)(6) cS (CO)