Pickwick Abroad: or, The Tour in France — page 355: what you’re looking at

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

— 294 Pickwick Abroad. afflicted with any family curse, dare venture to entail its consequences —Oh! that a sufficiency of reason may be left for me to write the remainder of this sad warning—but, no—I feel— Here terminated this terrible tale ; and the manuscript fell from Mr- Pickwick’s hand, as his eyes glanced over the unfinished sentence which seemed to prognosticate such terrible consequences tothe fair but unhappy writer. Tears trickled down the cheeks of our venerable friend as he pondered over this history of blasted happiness and de- feated love—of the overthrow of all the felicity which reciprocal af- fection might have entailed upon a fond pair—and of the consignment of two innocent beings to asylums of wretchedness and despair. CHAPTER XXXVI. HOW MR. ADOLPHUS CRASHEM, ALIAS MR. WILLIAM SUGDEN, APPLIES TO BE WHITEWASHED AT THE INSOLVENT DEBTORS’ COURT, PORTUGAL STREET, LINCOLN’S INN FIELDS.-—MESSIEURS STICKEMIN AND NAGS- FLESH OPPOSE HIM. » ‘‘ LETTER, Sir,’ said Mr. Weller, one morning to Mr. Pickwick, as that gentleman was discussing politics and buttered toast with his two friends at the breakfast-table. | ‘¢ How much is it, Sam ?”” demanded Mr. Pickwick, extracting a gold coin from his pocket. ‘* Well, here’s a sovereign, I declare: I really took it for a Napoleon.”’ | ‘* At all events, if ain’t an affliction, Sir,” observed Mr. Weller, ‘‘ although they does call’em sufferins. But wouldn’t it be a good thing for the poor if it rained such afflictions as them there ?” ‘You are right, Sam,” said Mr. Pickwick, returning to the toast with that sort of appetite, which is a relish bestowed upon the indigent portion of the community that they may like what they eat, while it is seldom enjoyed by the rich, although they may eat what they like. Mr. Weller retired to pay for the letter, which Mr. Tupman was desired by Mr. Pickwick to open. The missive was from Mr. Snod- grass, and to the effect that having seen an account of the proceedings of an individual, whom his friends had often mentioned in their cor- respondence, in the Insolvent Debtors’ Court, Portugal Street, London, he had extracted the paragraph from the papers, and forwarded it for the benefit of those whom it might concern. 3 ‘“ Ab!” exclaimed Mr. Winkle: ‘‘it can’t be our fellow-traveller Boozie 2” ‘*Or that Mr. Tims,”’ suggested Mr. Pickwick. ‘“‘No, neither of them,” said Mr. Tupman, referring fo the letter: ‘it is no other than Mr. Adolphus Crashem, alias Mr. William Sug- den, under which name it appears that he was sued and arrested.”’ Mr. Pickwick made a speedy end of his breakfast; and when the things were cleared away, Mr. Tupman read to his astonished audience EGomichbooks.co