Pickwick Abroad: or, The Tour in France — page 169: what you’re looking at

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

’ 128 Pickwick Abroad. round, takes off his hat—an’ a wery rum tile it where too—and makes me sich a uncommon polite bow as never I see afore. The chap, it vos wery perceptible to see vithout barnacles, vos a-begging my pardon. ‘ Pardong,’ cried the fernomenon vith a inexpressible grin; and he valked avay.—‘ Vell,’ says I to myself, ‘ you’re a nice un, you air, as the nobleman observed to the roast sucking-pig.’—But it’s a part o’ their edication, Sir,’’ added Mr. Weller. ‘‘T suppose it is, Sam,” said Mr. Pickwick, seating himself before — the fire, in order to give his follower an opportunity of expressing his opinions on France and the French. | ‘“‘ But that ain’t all, Sir,’’ continued Mr. Weller. ‘‘ A wery rainy day vos the day afore yesterday, in the mornin’; and, as I valked vonce up and down in them gardens opposite, I sees a gen’leman meet a lady and stop her. Gen’leman had no numberellar—lady had a wery tidy von. Just at themoment a smart shower begins to fall; but the gen’leman takes off his hat, holds it in his hand, and never wentures to put it on till the lady vos ten yards distant. I’m sure they stood there a-talkin’ for more than a minit; and if the gen’leman didn’t get cold, ’m a Dutchman, as the king o’ the Sangvich Islands said.” ‘‘ Very curious indeed,”’ observed Mr. Pickwick, approvingly. ** So it is, Sir,”’ said Mr. Weller with a smile of triumph. ‘I hates to speak ill o’ my own country, “ he added in a low tone of voice— ‘it’s a thing I can’t a-bear to do, but I must, as the sassage-maker observed ven he cut up his fav’rite tom-cat ; and all I can say is, that the French is much more politer and curtious than the English is. Besides, the wery tradesmen and even the vaiters their-selves is as vell-behaved and gen-teel as our English gen’lemen.” ‘¢ Well—perhaps you are right, Sam,”’ returned Mr. Pickwick after a pause. ‘* This never struck me before; mind I make a note of it to-morrow morning.” ‘¢T vill not forget, Sir,’’ cried Mr. Weller cheerfully; ‘‘ an’ if so be as you. von’t, vy—then I must do it myself; vich vos the remark made by the bishop ven his curate vos too ill to preach the sermon.” Mr. Pickwick relieved his faithful domestic from all apprehension, by assuring him that it was his intention to collate every remarkable anecdote and opinion it should be his good fortune to hear during his stay in France, and publish the result of his researches on his return to England at a future day. Mr. Weller’s countenance brightened up, and his spirits and Mr. Pickwick rose at the same time—the former in the breast of their proprietor, and the latter from his easy chair. The soothing luxuries of an inviting pile of mattrasses were then courted and won by the last named gentleman; and in that blissful state shall we leave him for the present in order to renew our ace quaintance with additional pleasure in the next chapter. EORNIELOOC KS, (EC)