Pickwick Abroad: or, The Tour in France — page 56: what you’re looking at

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

Pickwick Abroad. 27 CHAPTER IV. A VARIETY OF ADVENTURES THROUGH WHICH MR. WELLER PASSES; AND THE HIGHLY SATISFACTORY, AS WELL AS TRULY NOVEL AND ORIGINAL MAXKER, IX WHICH HE ACCOUNTS FOR THEM. Ma. Weiter had not long sojourned in the Vtolon, when the door was suddenly thrown open, and two gigantic forms entered the cell. The first was dressed like a harlequin, in chequered raiment; the second was attired in a gendarme’s costume. Both wore tremendous whiskers, and equally fierce moustachios, and their under-lips were graced with a tuft of hair, called by the French an zmperial. ‘How do you do, young man?” enquired the harlequin sternly. ‘* Aye—how do you do?” echoed the gendarme, ‘‘Not amiss, thank’ee, all things con-sidering,’’ replied Mr. Weller. “Pray, how air you ?” “ Come, now—none of your gammon,” cried the harlequin in very English ; “‘ but make haste and follow us.” ‘s Where to?’ demanded Mr. Weller. ‘“ You'll know that safe enough presently,”’ answered the gendarme, ‘‘Come, make haste—or I'll be hanged if I don’t awaken the execu- tioner and have you guillotined. ‘And if my friend don’t do that,” quietly observed the harlequin, “ll turn you into a cat or a rabbit, and no mistake.”’ ‘‘Wery much obleeged for sich kindness on your parts, gen’Imen,” returned Mr. Weller, “ but ’ould rayther not accept o’ yer bounties, as the poor man observed ven they asked him to go to the vork-us.” ic Pollow us, then,” said the gendarme, “‘ and make no noise as you pass through the guard-house, for fear of awaking the corporal. He only drank nine bottles of beer to-day, and is infernally cross. So, follow us—and no noise.” Mr. Weller accordingly followed the harlequin and the gendarme down the narrow stair-case, traversed the guard-room, without being noticed by the soldiers, who were occupied in sharpening their short swords and grinding their bayonets, which latter seemed at least four feet in length, and arrived on the Grande Place, where the cold air imparted a shivering sensation to their limbs. Sam trod carelessly on, after his conductors, who led him to the quay, where a small boat, rowed by four stout men, awaited: their arrival. Into this boat did Mr. Weller follow his singular guides; and the four sailors immedi- ately betook themselves to their oars. So manfully did they pull away, that in a quarter of an hour the bark was afar from land, and the lights of Calais were no longer visible. The gendarme then ad Mr. Weller in the following terms :— ‘You may now take your choice of two punishments that await your temerity. Not satisfied with having disturbed a whole theatre, which is one | of tne greatest crimes you can commit you murder a commissary of police, put to flight an entire legion of gendarmes, and then knock down the pnthom of the light hense itself, A very few miles from the spot where we are at present, is a barren rock where ships are occasionally wrecked. The merchandise of those ships is frequently washed on shore. And at a similar distance is the North- 1 SOKO |KS,EO COL q)