Pickwick Abroad: or, The Tour in France — page 50: what you’re looking at

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

Pickwick Abroad. 21 _-“ How the poor beast must have suffered!” cried Mr. Winkle, who still retained a lurking affection for an occasional display of his know- ledge on all sporting-matters. : ‘¢ A disease common among horses, I presume, Sir ?’”’ remarked Mr. Pickwick, with the utmost suavity and innocence. Mr. Crashem pronounced somewhat emphatically the name of ‘¢ Walker!” and then as strenuously adjured the presence of that por- tion of a certain edible called ‘‘Gammon;” after which he appeared rather disconcerted for a few minutes, and then varied the amusement he gratuitously and liberally afforded Mr. Pickwick and Mr. Winkle, by whistling with peculiar taste and elegance some half-dozen notes of that highly popular song, ‘‘ Bartlemy Fair.’ But, with the versatility incidental to all great minds, Mr. Crashem speedily became wearied of testing his musical powers: he accordingly ceased his melodious whistling with admirable abruptness, and turning shortly round upon Mr. Winkle, who almost put up his arm to avoid a blow, observed “¢ What a rum thing life actually was!”’ Mr. Winkle gladly murmured an affirmative, when he saw that no violence was intended. | “And yet,” -moralized the tco sensitive Mr. Adolphus Crashem, “one must pay tolerably dear for initiation into its mysteries! You won't believe it, perhaps— but it’s as true as you’re sitting there,—that I didn’t know any thing of the world—in fact, I was as green as grass, and was frequently done so exceedingly brown, that I now only wonder at my own folly—until I had actually run through upwards of two hundred thousand pounds !” _ * God bless me!” exclaimed Mr. Pickwick, “that is four times as much as I made during thirty years,while I was in business as a whole- sale draper.”’ «“ And a very pretty little fortune it would be, vested in the funds,’ — observed Mr. Winkle. Mr. Adolphus Crashem would probably have amused Mr. Pickwick and Mr. Winkle with other and more interesting stories still, had not the door of the coffee-room suddenly opened, and Mr. Tupman ap- peared before his friends, who made many anxious inquiries concern- ing his health. <A smile of triumph curled Mr. Tupman’s lips, but a long and palpable scratch was depicted upon his countenance; and when he requested to be informed if dinner were nearly ready, he for- got the agonies he had endured at his morning’s repast. - When Mr. Winkle had duly satisfied Mr. Tupman’s curiosity rela- tive to the proximity of the dinner-hour, the latter gentleman was introduced in due form to Mr. Adolphus Crashem; and a great many new compliments were invented and exchanged upon the occasion. Precisely at six o’clock a large tray, behind which walked a waiter, entered the coffee-room, and Mr, Pickwick, Mr. Tupman, Mr. Winkle and Mr. Adolphus Crashem, sate down to a most succulent dinner, Mr. Adolphus Crashem having voted Mr. Pickwick into the chair, and advised him, at the same.time, to use his own discretion, and follow the dictates of his own taste in issuing his orders for wine, &c., as the amount of the bill might easily be divided amongst them on the fol- lowing morming. To this delicate and polite arrangement, Mr. Pick- wick, with the humility which formed so remarkable a trait in the EGOMINGIOOKS (C(O)