Pickwick Abroad: or, The Tour in France — page 38: what you’re looking at

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

Pickwick Abroad. : 11 “What can we have, then?” demanded Mr. Pickwick, opening his _eyes behind his spectacles in undisguised astonishment. | “ Here is the card, Sir,” retumed the waiter, placing a long list of long names into Mr. Pickwick’s hands. ‘Tl do not understand French,” said that gentleman; “but you, Tupman, I fancy, can do a little in this way.” | “¢T understand—that is, when at school—oh! yes,” stammered Mr. Tracy Tupman, “I am far from ignorant—but these names, waiter, are new ones, I fancy.” : ‘¢ Not many centuries old, Sir,” observed the waiter. ‘The French use the word centuries for weeks,” said Mr. Tupman in a whisper to his leader. “Oh, indeed !” murmured Mr. Pickwick, poking the fire. “‘ After all, I think it would be better to leave it to the waiter.” “Thank you, Sir,” said the waiter, gliding almost imperceptibly away from the room, and resolved in his own mind to furnish the most expensive wine in the cellar. Mr. Weller, who had disappeared on the entrance of the waiter, now returned to the coffee-room where his masters were seated, and shuffled uneasily round the table, as if he were desirous of unburdening his mind of some oppressive weight. ‘¢ What is the matter, Sam ?” said Mr. Pickwick, at length, pitying the embarrassed situation of his domestic: ‘“‘has any thing new occurred ?” : “‘ Beg pardon, Sir,” returned Sam, “but I’m just a-come from the kitchen—and a more curioser place I never see.” ‘‘Indeed,Sam,” said Mr. Pickwick; “‘ what is there so remarkable?” ‘“‘Tn that ’ere kitchen, Sir,” said Sam, seriously, “‘there’s nothink that’s common to a kitchen in England. Fust, Sir, there are half- a-dozen man-cooks, vith vite night-caps and aperns; and each ap- pears to be the captain o’ ten or twelve different sarsepans—all of bright copper—ranged, soldier-vise, on a large stove: and then the contents o’ them ’ere sarsepans, gen’lemen, is astonishing to a degree. I opened the lid o’ von, unbeknown to the cook as vos the presiding diwinity o’ that quarter, and sure enough, I sees a partridge a-stooing vith weggitables and sassages. SaysI to myself, ‘ This is rayther queer,’ as the banker observed, ven he looked at the cheque as vos forged. —‘ P’rhaps you'd like to larn French cookery, young man?’ said von 0’ the vaiters, vith a vink o’ slyness to von o’ the varming-pans.” ‘<T’o one of the warming: pans !”’ exclaimed Mr. Pickwick, somewhat angry, for he recollected that the unfortunate subject of warming- pans had served as material evidence against him, in the mouth of Serjeant Buz-fuz on the occasion of his memorable trial. “‘Hallegorical, Sir—purely hallegorical, Sir,” returned Mr. Weller, ** asithe critic said to the author, ven he cut up his writings.”’ ‘* Well—to return to the kitchen, Sam,” said Mr. Pickwick, whose momentary anger was speedily subsided, and who entertained some vague idea that his domestic alluded to a chambermaid, although the synonyme was at first rather obscure. “‘Tf it suit your con-wenience, Sir,” continued Sam, “to listen to my wagaries, I don’t know no hobjection to my communicating of them. So to continue. °P’rhaps you ’ud like to larn French cookery ?’ said EOMINGIOOKS (C(O)