Pickwick Abroad: or, The Tour in France — page 248: what you’re looking at

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

Pickwick Abroad. 199 “Oh! no—no—lI can’t say that I have, ‘was the reply. ‘‘ I and my friend Brandenbergh are just come for a little excursion, and be- cause the sheriffs of London and Middlesex were too pressing in their invitations—” ‘“‘T believe that the city authorities in London are generally kind and affable to their acquaintances?” gravely remarked Mr. Pickwick. ‘““Very,’ echoed Messieurs Peacock and Brandenbergh, with ill- suppressed laughter. ‘“‘ It is a part of their system,” added Mr. Walker. ‘‘T once wrote a poem in honour of the Lord Mayor,” said Mr. Chitty; ‘‘ but he never acknowledged the compliment. [I had a very great mind—magnum animum—to send him another.” ‘‘ That would have been punishing him too severely,”’ remarked Mr. Peacock: ‘* But, if ’m not mistaken, Sir, you seem well ac- quainted with the Latin language 2” : ““ Yes, Sir—I flatter myself, Sir—that is,” began Mr. Septimus Chitty, ‘“‘ that I am zo¢ an indifferent scholar. ’*Twas I, Sir, who first promulgated the idea that the ancients rode m coaches and public conveyances, Sir—and that even the Grecians had omnebuses in com- mon amongst them.”’ ‘‘ Indeed!” said Mr. Pickwick, somewhat astonished at this vast display of erudition. ‘‘ And pray, Mr. Chitty, what makes you think so ?” ‘“‘'The Eton Latin Grammar, to be sure,” returned the poet with a triumphant smile, “in which you will find the quotation ‘ Dores in omnibus ’—the Dorians in omnibuses—‘ travelled’ understood.” No one could resist the force of this argument; and Mr, Pickwick exclaimed ‘‘ Capital—soit is!’’ several times, an ejaculation in which he was heartily jomed by Mr. Tupman and Mr. Winkle, who looked very much like men perfectly convinced of a dificult matter. ‘¢ Very extraordinary !” observed Mr. Scuttle, after a momentary pause; ‘‘ but not so singular as the fact of my opening the door of my carriage this morning for the horse to get in, and then harnessing myself to the vehicle.” ‘* God bless me!” cried Mr. Pickwick, rubbing his hands together in order to express his mirth through the medzum of a novel expe- dient: “‘that was one of the most remarkable feats you have yet performed.” ‘* Last night,” continued Mr. Scuttle, ‘“‘ I was at a party where there was music; and when a gentleman offered me the flute to play an air, I shortly after stirred the fire with the instrument, and began blowing the poker.” ‘* Well—that was d¢ves—rich,”’ exclaimed Mr. Chitty, with consi- derable emphasis upon the verb, in the employment of which he exhibited no small degree of assurance. ‘ But I am afraid,” he whispered to Mr. Pickwick, “ that our absent friend is a little inclined to cut it fat—scondere pingue—on certain occasions.” As the conversation now languished for a few minutes, Mr. Pick- wick proposed cards, and Mr. Weller was forthwith summoned to arrange the tables. } “Two fiddles an’ a drum is a-vaitin’ outside, Sir, in the ante- chamber,” said Mr. Weller in a whisper to his master. CoOnnicloookKks (CO)