Pickwick Abroad: or, The Tour in France — page 331: what you’re looking at

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

272 Pickwick Abroad. severe poke on his knuckles with a sharp fork to obtain his attention, and ad him in French as follows :— “* My dear Sir, since you will not ask me to take a glass of wine with you; and as I was very intimate with your uncle the cowherd, and your cousin the pig-merchant, I must beg of you to take a glass of wine with me.” ‘<Only put two drops in her glass, for the love of God!” whispered the Doctor from the head of the table. Mr. Scuttle obeyed this injunction with increased wonderment, which totally deprived him of the power of speech; and when the young lady had tasted the Madeira, she began to smile most be- nignantly upon all around; and by way of exhibiting her good hu- mour the more effectually, she was proceeding to execute the last new dance upon the supper-table, when the old matron wes dain sum- moned, and the refractory fair one was borne away from the apart- ment, ‘¢ Are we amongst a parcel of actresses?” enquired Mr. Pickwick, gazing around him in unfeigned alarm. Mr. Scuttle would, doubtless, have replied to this very natural uery, had not a large boiled potato, propelled by the somewhat forceful hand of one of the young ladies opposite to him, effectually closed his mouth ; a circumstance at which Nassau Siffkin was so intensely alarmed, that he hastened to screen himself under the table, declaring “ that he wouldn’t have his teeth knocked out to please any female in existence.” Nor need this resolution be wondered at; for- Mr. Desirabode, the dentist, had charged him forty pounds sterling for putting them in only the day before. , Things had now drawn to a crisis. The young ladies were con- vulsed with laughter; and the little Doctor in vain endeavoured to appease the irate Mr. Pickwick, who mounted upon his chair, placed his left hand beneath his coat-tails, flourished his right in the air, and proceeded to address his audience; forgetting—an oversight often committed by t men—that very few present understood a single word he u Fortunately for the state of affairs at that moment, one of the domes- tics entered the apartment, and informed Mr. Scuttle that a hackney- coach was waiting at the door. This news was communicated to Mr. Pickwick, and to Mrs. Weston—Mr. Siffkin, with some difficulty, was prevailed upon to dopete from beneath re table—end the travel- ers were preparing to depart, when some of the yo les, per- ceiving their intentions, rushed forward and solicited to be allowed to accompany them. The scene of confusion which then took place, no pen can describe: one stout young lady clung to Mr. Pickwick’s neck, and would not be removed: another attached herself to Mr. Scuttle’s coat- tails; and a third clasped Mr. Siffkin so tightly round the waist that his very stays were loosened by the inordinate . Mrs. Weston sank almost fainting upon the chair, from which she had risen when the coach was announced. The matron, who attended the pale but lovely girl before alluded to, was now obliged to relinquish her fair charge for a moment, and exert her authority to establish order. Mr. Pickwick was the first whom she disembarraseed of the heavy lady that clung to him; and COL (a) | 1 SKOKO|KS.EO