Pickwick Abroad: or, The Tour in France — page 389: what you’re looking at

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324 Pickwick Abroad. black and white boar for a ghost,” observed Mr. Kallaway; “and if Harry Simmons hadn’t called up the boy that slept in the stable—” ‘‘ Gentlemen,” exclaimed Mr. Pickwick impatiently, “‘ my busi- ness has no reference to fits of absence of mind, nor to black and white boars —” ‘‘Clumley bought it of Sam Marshal, who was afterwards trans- ported for knowing too much,” said Mr. Kallaway. ‘“‘Nor to transported felons,” continued Mr. Pickwick, indignantly frowning at the ex-grazier and farmer; ‘‘ but to my character, which has evidently been basely traduced, and to the villany of an indi- vidual to whom I entrusted a most delicate message, which, it ap- pears, he delivered in favour of himself.” | ‘Mr. Pickwick,” said Mr. Scuttle mildly, “why did you deceive us? Could you not have frankly acknowledged that you had been in Saint Pelagie for debt ?” - ““T!” exclaimed Mr. Pickwick, fire flashing from his eyes through his spectacles, which instruments alone prevented Mr. Scuttle from being singed to death by those caloric emanations of wrath; ‘“‘ I— in Saint Pelagie! No—Sir—never as a prisoner—never, Sir.” ‘‘You don’t happen to know two gentlemen named Lipman and Jopling—do you?” enquired Mr, Nassau Siffkin, with a cunning leer at him whom he interrogated. ‘Yes, Sir—I do know such individuals as those you mention,” rejoined Mr Pickwick; “‘and let me add at the same time, that my opinion of them is not very high. A friend of mine was for some weeks a prisoner in Saint Pelagie—or the New Prison, I believe they call it—and on several occasions I visited him there. It was then that I became acquainted with Mr. Lipman and Mr. Jopling.” ‘“‘'There is some mistake here,” suggested Mr. Scuttle. “IT really begin to think that I have been deceived,”’ observed Mr. Nassau Siffkin, looking very foolish. | ‘“Gad, so was old Clumley, when he fired at the black and white boar,’”’ said Mr. Kallaway, deeming that an illustration of Mr. Siffkin’s remark would not be misplaced. ‘It would have been a great pity if he'd killed the poor beast; for such a lovely animal I never did see, Why, what do you think our vicar said to me the day after he preached that sermon against the ’squire for having refused to be present at the vestry dinner where his reverence presided, and where we all got so precious drunk ?”’ ““T, for one, neither know nor care,” ejaculated Mr. Pickwick. ‘* But now that I have settled one portion of the contents of this letter, allow me to make an observation upon another.” “Certainly,” said Mr. Scuttle. ‘ But won’t you sit down? There’s a chair behind you. You needn’t do as I did the other day, though -put your hat upon the chair, and go and hang yourself to the peg outside the door.”’ “‘Talk not to me of chairs, and pegs, and doors,” cried Mr. Pickwick; “‘ but explain—or rather let Mr. Kallaway explain how Mrs. Weston is to exchange her name for his; and let him not seek a subterfuge in his black and white boars, or his blue boars, or his green boars!’”»—and Mr. Pickwick awaited a reply with a stern composure. 3 | a) ‘‘There 1s another mistake somewhere, now,”’ exclaimed Mr. Kal- Eomichbooks.co