Pickwick Abroad: or, The Tour in France — page 70: what you’re looking at

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

Pickwick Abroad. 39 could only have been adopted to drown the ‘‘Sacr-r-r-re nom de Diex ;’ by the utterance of which he relieved the agitation so unlooked for an occurrence had thrown him into. At this crisis Mr. Weller, enveloped in his great-coat, entered the coffee-room. | ‘Well, Sam,”’’ said Mr. Pickwick, looking at his watch, and then at the clock in the picture over the mantel-piece ; ‘“‘ what news, Sam ?” ‘The diligence starts in ten minutes, Sir,” answered Mr. Weller. ‘‘ T’ve bin to see all the luggage safely stow’d avay, and as the wehicle don’t go round the toun to take up passingers, ‘t would be rayther ad- wisable to stump down to the office vich 1s on’y in the next street.” ‘‘Give me my great-coat, then, Sam,” said Mr. Pickwick; and in a moment the immortal gentleman was carefully wrapped up in the above-mentioned garment. Mr. Weller then proceeded to assist Mr. Tupman and Mr. Winkle to encase their own respective bodies in similar contrivances, which ceremony had scarcely been performed, and the bill duly paid, when Mr. Crashem returned to the coffee-room, mysteriously enveloped in a thick rough coat which he had just pur- chased at a ready-made clothes-sbop on the Grande Place. Every thing being now ready, and every body prepared for departure, the five travellers followed the porter of the hotel to the diligence office in the Rue Neuve, where they found the five horses already harnessed to the vehhicle, and the vehicle itself laden with luggage to the height of about four feet above the roof The door of the interieur, or cen- tral department of the diligence, was immediately thrown open; and a clerk, armed with a large book and a steel pen, took up his station by the steps. “© Monsieur Peek-veek, number one!” cried the individual just mentioned; and with great dexterity aided Mr. Pickwick into the seat allotted to him. | “« Monsieur Weenkell, number two!’’ continued the man with the book ; ‘‘Afonsieur Toopman, number three; Monsieur Crashem, num- ber four!’’ and the gentlemen thus enumerated were also handed in due order into their places. A pause of a few minutes ensued, during which the clerk cast an anxious glance towards the entrance of the coach-yard, as if he were waiting the arrival of other passengers. At length his face brightened up, and two individuals presented themselves at the office-door. ‘“¢ Allons, Messieurs £’ cried the man with the book, ‘en place /” and he proceeded to read their names, and assign each to his respect- ive seat. ‘* Monsieur Dumont, number five; Monsieur Boozie, number six. An’ you, young man, you go dere—you climb imperial —you no break neck, me hop !” This latter injunction was delivered to Mr. Weller, who ascended to his seat according to the directions given him; and in an another moment the diligence was rollmg along at the safe and easy pace of four miles an bour. By the time the fortifications were passed, Mr. Pickwick had had an opportunity of inspecting the exterior of the two strangers who occupied the fifth and sixth places inthe enterteur of the diligence. M. Dumont was an individual about six-and-thirty. His face was neither hand- COL (a) DGoe (c@