Pickwick Abroad: or, The Tour in France — page 84: what you’re looking at

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

Picknick Abroad. dl fused to allow me to enter the profession, or embrace the calling of huissier, simply because it is the duty of that functionary to commit debtors to prison ; and now he selected the medier of gendarme, whose chief employment consists in the pursuit and incarceration of felons. I, however, joyfully acceded tomy guardian’s proposal ; for the hand- some uniform, well-caparisoned horse, and important character of a gendarme won all my affections. . ‘*Tis well, then,” said Dumont, when my assent had been dutifully made known; “to-morrow-moming we will our respects to monseigneur the Prefect of Police; and I have no doubt but that in the course of a very few days you may don your bearskin cap, and brace your yellow belt round your waist.” “‘ Pray what are the principal duties of a gendarme?” enquired I, anxious to be made acquainted with the intricacies of my intended profession. “‘ Obey the Prefect’s agents without daring to pry into their secrets —ask no questions of your officers, save on points of duty—never drink at ets with strangers—stop every one of r and i- cious appearance, and demand his passport—always refuse a bribe, but accept a present—smoke a short pipe, well blackened—and when you are in a public-house, talk of the bounty of your sovereign, and suffer a few words relative to the greatest man that ever lived to mingle with the encomiums you pass on the present king.” ‘‘ And with these instructions as a guide, you think I may inake a tolerably good gendarme ?” ‘‘ A tolerable one!”’ cried the old man, striking his fist upon the table with tremendous vehemence, so that the brandy-bottle and the two petits verres performed a pas de trois: ‘*a tolerable one!” he repeated—‘“ an excellent one, you would say !” And here the conversation took a turn totally uninteresting to you, were I to repeat it. On the following morning we dressed ourselves in our very best attire, and by the help of a rickety cabriolet and drunken driver, arrived at the Quai des Orfevres, where we were set down opposite a gloomy building, the entrance to which resembles the gate of a felon’s rison. This was the Prefecture de Police. Theancient eutrassier fade me tarry a moment under the frowning arch-way, while he went forward to solicit an audience of the mighty man, in whose keeping were the moet important state secretsof the kingdom. In half an hour he returned, and desired me to follow him. We entered the large parallelogram which forms the court yard of the Prefecture, and turned into a narrow passage on the left-hand side. This dark corri- dor led us to a small antechamber, where several other individuals were awaiting their turns to be ushered into the presence of the Pre- fect. I know not by what magic the deed was accomplished ; but it nevertheless is a fact, that my worthy benefactor and myself were sum- moned to wait upon the Prefect the moment our names were sent into his office, to the great annoyance of many who were congregated in the antechamber, and were anxiously expecting to be favoured with an audience. We were introduced into a small, but neatly furnished apartment, in the middle of which was a large mahogany desk, covered almoat COL (©) DGe Ss (c@