Pickwick Abroad: or, The Tour in France — page 98: what you’re looking at

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

65 CHAPTER IX. AN ELEGANT PANTOMIME, VULGARLY CALLED “A LARK, GOT UP AND ENACTED BY MK. ADOLPHUS CRASHEM AND MR. TIMS.—A PARTY OF GENTLEMEN OBLIGINGLY SUPPLY MR, CRASHEM WITH LODGINGS GRATIS. WaiLr the younger members of the party were en , as we left them at the end of the preceding chapter, m mirthful conversation, the following dialogue took place between Mr. Pickwick and Mr. Boozi e. “* How do you like your quarters?” enquired the former gentleman in the true spirit of philanthropic curiosity. ‘‘ Have you a comfort- able bed-room—and can you manage to sleep in a French bed ?” “* Why—to tell you the truth,” responded Mr. Boozie, ‘“‘my bed- room is as comfortable as one could expect in a house like this. No —it isn’t, though,” exclaimed Mr. Boozie after a momentary pause,— “I’m telling a confounded fib, when I think of it—’tisn’t at all com- fortable. It looks on the front—and the carriages make such a clat- tering, I only got ten—no, I didn’t, though—I only managed to get two short naps all night.” ‘* How very provoki gt cried the good-natured Mr. Pickwick, swallowing a bumper of claret. “ And I can sleep anywhere almost —= the midst of disturbances of every kind—’tis all the same to me !’’ ‘“‘ Indeed ! cried Mr. Boozie. ‘I once knew a man in the West Indies—no, it wasn’t, though—I’m again telling a falsehood—’twas in the East Indies, when I recollect—who slept while a whole regiment of English—of Native Infantry, I mean—walked over his body. But which is your room ?” “The one behind your’s,” answered Mr. Pickwick, who found it much more facile to swallow Meurice’s claret than Mr. Boozie’s tales : ‘‘it looks upon the court-yard of the hotel.” ‘“‘How I envy you!” ejaculated Mr. Boozie. ‘I should be most happy to change,” observed Mr. Pickwick, emp- tying his glass, and summoning the waiter for another bottle, to the astonishment of Mr. Tupman, who already saw double, and the horror of Mr. Winkle, who felt a great inclination to deposit himself quietly under the table. ‘6 Really, you are too good,” modestly remarked Mr. Boozie: “but if it were not asking too much—” “Oh! not at all,” interrupted Mr. Pickwick. ‘Say no more upon the subject: I will give orders to Sam, presently, to change our re- spective trunks, and only hope you will slumber well to-night in your new quarters,” This matter being settled to the mutual satisfaction of the two par- ties principally interested in the arrangement, the bottle of wine, that had been ordered, was duly dispatched, and the conversation became as general as the exceedingly lying remarks of Mr. Tupmanand the COL (©) DGe SS (c@