Pickwick Abroad: or, The Tour in France — page 259: what you’re looking at

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

210 Pickwick Abroad. owners, when the door was opened with violence, and M. D’Arly entered the room. He was accompanied by Captain de Bellois and the Comte de Lille—two individuals as notorious as their companion for licentiousness of habits, and viciousness of pursuits. You must be informed that circumstances have endowed the Gendarme with a certain penetration and instinct which cause him to see deeply into thi every surface of which would not strike a common observer. Thus was it that, the moment those ‘three gentlemen drew nigh the gaming table, I saw they were armed. A shudder came over me—for thought of the unhappy—the beautiful Emilie. Her weeping coun- tenance was vividly depicted to my faithful memory ! Henri D’Arly commenced by putting down a few pieces, which he immediately lost, and I noticed: his lip quiver and his hand tremble violently as he watched the chances of the game, Captain de Bellois preserved a strict silence; while the Count, with folded arms, leant against the wall, and kept his eyes immoveably fixed upon his young friend D’Arly. "Twas horrible to gaze upon the countenances of those three desperate men! D’Arly’s cheek was ashy pale—his eyes beamed with unnatural lustre—his nerves were evidently in an extraordinary state of agitation and excitement. At one moment he clenched his fist and ground his teeth—at another he stamped upon the floor—and then apparently resigned himself to the terrible tranquillity of dumb t seemed that D’Arly had not carried much money with him to the gaming-house ; for in a quarter of an hour he was pennyless. It was n that I began to feel an indescribable anxiety oppressing me; and in all the vicissitudes and adventures of my life, I never experienced such strange and unaccountable emotions as I did on this occasion. The image of the weeping Emilie was ever present to my memory; and there I was, armed against her husband! So soon as [ was con- vinced that D’Arly had been ‘‘ cleaned out,’ I roee from my seat and drew near the door, in order to place myself between the table and the only means of safe egress the salon afforded. At that instant there were but myself, the two croupiere, the master of the hell, and the three friends in the room. The servants were occupied in an adjacent apartment, where the noise of roulette, and other amusements, would effectually drown any cries or disturbance that might take place in the salon in which we then were. All this my experienced eye discovered in a moment; and J knew that if any desperate deed were meditated, the time of its execution must be now nigh at hand. Nor was I mistaken. On a sudden D’Arly crossed the room, and placed himself by the side of the keeper of the gaming-house, before whom was a large tin case containing the bank; while the Captai drew near the spot where I was standing. No sooner had the Count noticed these manceuvres than he boldly extinguished the large lam that hung immediately over the rouge-et-noir table. I had sucpected, and was prepared for this measure. No sooner were we enveloped in total darkness than I drew a pistol from my pocket—it was only loaded with powder—and immediately fired it. A rush was made towards the door; but I stood with my back against it, and cried in a loud voice—“ Gentlemen, I am a Gendarme!” The word ‘‘ Gen- darme’’ made them recoil for a moment—the door behind me was COL q) NOOO KS (c@