Pickwick Abroad: or, The Tour in France — page 39: what you’re looking at

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12 hae Se the vaiter.—‘* Wery much obleeged, young lily-vite,’ said I; ‘ but had rayther let it alone, as the monkey said of the hot poker.’—‘ Vould you like jist for to taste o’ this ’ere dish, Mr. Veller?’ persewed the vaiter, for he ’d larnt my name from the top of my band-box; and, taking the kiver off von o’ the sarsepans, he showed mea piece 0’ biled beef done to rags. ‘Time to take that off,’ says I.—‘ No sich thing,’ said he, looking at the clock: ‘ must stew till six.’-—* And vot’s in that ’ere large kaldron ?’ said I, not wenturing on a look of astonish- ment, as [ vos afeard of ’traying my ignorance.—‘ Stewed weal,’ said the vaiter ; and thereupon he took off the lid of the copper sarsepan, and showed me a piece o’ meat vith bits 0’ fat hanging about it on all sides. This he called a flich-and-go: but Is’pose ’twas his imperence. - —‘Pray do you use pertaties in France?’ said I.—‘ Certainly,’ said my friend the vaiter; ‘ here is some prime uns,’ and sure enow I seed some pertaties cut into slices, and kivered over with butter and parsely, jist ready to sarve up.” | ‘Singular!’ said Mr. Pickwick, who had listened with deep atten- tion to Mr. Weller’s recital ;—‘‘ very singular! But what did I tell you just now, Winkle ?” Mr. Winkle was about to reply, when the entrance of the waiter and the luncheon attracted the attention of the three gentlemen to the repast which was now brought in -and which was to be the first that either had ever yet eaten of in France. | “Dear me,” said Mr. Pickwick, ‘‘ why—this is a dinner !” “ Dejeuner ala fourchette,” cried the waiter; and having ranged half-a-dozen dishes upon the table, he proceeded to draw the corks of three bottles of wine, and place them (the bottles, not the corks) upon the same convivial board. ‘<Meat-pie,” said Mr. Pickwick, uncovering the dish opposite to him, and glancing curiously at a little fabric of paste standing im a very little piece of crockery-ware. | “< Vol-au-vent aux grenouilles /” observed the waiter. ‘“¢ Mutton-chops and vegetables,” cried Mr. Tupman, disencumber- ing his dish of its tegument. ‘“‘ Cotelettes a la jgardiniere,’ said the waiter. ‘* Hash and young lobsters,’ exclaimed Mr. Winkle. , ‘“< Téte de veau a la tortue, et des ecrevisses,’ chaunted the waiter in a sing-song tone of voice.” ‘“‘ Chopped cabbages,” said Mr. Weller, as he lifted up the cover of a dish containing spinage. ‘‘ And some o’ them identical pertaties,”’ continued Sam, disclosing the contents of another plate, ‘* consarning vich I vos hedificated just now. Kolliflour and melted butter is the third—and a’ admirable display they air too. Good appetite, gen’le- men, as the skipper said to the sailors ven they vos short of perwi- sions, and he give “em each a ounce 0’ salt-pork.”’ ‘This chicken-pie is excellent,” said Mr. Pickwick, helping him- self a second time to the attractive dish before him :—“ I never tasted any thing so tender. You really can eat the very bones!”’ ‘‘ Indeed!” observed Mr. Winkle; “I'll trouble you for a piece, then.” ‘With pleasure,” returned Mr. Pickwick. ‘‘ Tupman—try this dish of mine 2” ‘¢T don’t care if I do,” said Mr. Tupman; and having been copiously EORNMIELNCO KS (E(0)