Pickwick Abroad: or, The Tour in France — page 31: what you’re looking at

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

riUKWICK ABROAD. 7 black coat and hair cap; “this here chap’s a-come to puzzle the Frenchmen.” ‘“‘ He must get up infernally early in the morning, then, Bill,” ob. served the individual to whom the above remark was addressed. “It is jist vithin the range o’ possibility to do you, old touch-and- go,” retorted Sam, “‘ perwided I doesn’t go to bed at all.” In the mean time the carriage, which belonged to Meurice’s hotel, and the coachman of which had been duly advertised, by some com- missioner, of Mr. Weller’s demand, drove up to the very spot where the passengers were already landing. ss Well, Sam," said Mr. Pickwick, when that faithful domestic de- scended the accommodation-ladder, and once more stood upon the deck of the vessel, ‘ie the carriage ready ? ‘If them ’ere greea painted. boards, vith leather aperns attached to ‘em, standing en four veels, and d by two such beastesses as | mever sce, is a carriage, Sir,” returned Sam, “then that is the hecki- “Oh! very well, Sam,” said Mr. Pickwick, benignly smiling at his servant's humour, and putting himeelf at the head of the little detach- ment of his followers to ascend the acoommodation-ladder. But no sooner had Mr. Pickwick set his left foot on the last bar of the ladder, and grasped the railing with his right hand, then another tre- mendous shout arose to welcome nis arrival; and had not Mr. Weller given his revered and respected master a compulsive and impelli shove behind, it is more than probable that Mr. Pickwick waukd have remained standing at the bottom of the ladder till the arrival of the high tide should have enabled him to step on shore, by raising the verse] to a level with the qu y. Now it happened that there was present, on this memorable occa- ion, an English sporting character, who writes a good deal on sport- ing matters, and has created for himself a species of reputation in the spertang world,—for m no other sphere could he, nor did he ever ine :—-and, as there is a kind of freemasonry existing between all great or literary men, the said sporting character deemed it his duty to saake a apecch in honour of Mr. Pickwick’s arrival. Animated by so neble a resolution, and having already informed a few of his elegant English acquaintances resident in Calais, that such was his intention, the said ‘s ting character stepped jauntily forward, and confronti the bew:l r. Pickwick in the very path which the crowd forme by nv pg drawing away on either side, began as follows :— “ Most illustrious and welcome Pickwick,—all hail on the shores of France! and when I say ‘all hail!’ it is not the voice of an humble individual that pronounces these words. No,—for the Duke of Orleans has noticed me at Chantilly,—and, what is more, he has spoken tome! But, *clarorum virorum facta moresque’ must be related by other tongues, and celebrated by other pens, than mine. if I have obtained a considerable reputation in the world, © gre perennius,’ end if my writings have produced moral effects upen the principal aations in Europe—an ion made to me by the Duke of COMMICEOOOXS CoM