Pickwick Abroad; or, The Tour in France — page 199: what you’re looking at

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

e 186 PICKWICK ABRGAD. patronising nod, evidently studied on the very summit of Mount Helicon or on the Boulevard Parnassus, Mr. Chitty left Mr. Pickwick. f and mingled with a groupe of English ‘gentlemen in another part of © the room. ‘‘ Extraordinary man, that, Mr. Pickwick,” said Mr. Scuttle, who — had been occupied during the last five minutes in consoling his niece and the poodle; “a striking example of neglected talent, eh hs “The idea cf the four winds is cer tainly ° very ingenious,’ "returned Mr. Pickwick. > ~ ‘He has read the Creation to you, then?” said Mr. Scuttle with a a sly laugh. ‘<A portion of it—but I really forget how much.” | “What! can Mr. Pickwick forget any thing?” exclaimed the absent gentleman. ‘‘ I fancied that a memory like your’s was infalli-: ble. But at all events, you will never do what I did last night, I~ hope?” Pray, what was that?” enquired Mr. Winkle, now relieved from his fears relative to the zn “Why,” rejoined Mr. Scuttle, ‘‘ when I retired to my chamber last night at about the usual hour, I put my clothes into the bed, and hung myself over the chair.” The laugh, with which this avowal was received, had scarcely sub- sided into a smile on the beaming countenance of Mr. Pickwick and the radiant features of Mr. Winkle, when the music and cards, which had formed the principal entertainment of the ev ening, were suddenly | eschewed for the still more substantial enjoyment of supper. To Mr. Pickwick’s astonishment, when the company arrived in the ban-_ quetting-room, the ladies seated themselves at the table on which a variety of the choicest luxuries was spread, and the gentlemen stationed themselves behind their chairs to enact the parts of waiters, although there was no lack of more befitting attendants. A tall French officer undertook to carve the turkey stuffed with © truffles, for the lady of the house—a German Count, whose five names’ embraced every letter in the alphabet by the aid of a little transposi- — tion, assisted a dowager baroness to by no means a small portion of a col-au-vent—the stout lady and her slender train of seven daughters: were provided each with the dainties she loved best by an obsequious gallant—and in the confused hum of voices, about a dozen different languages might be recognised around the table, the effect of which was very harmonious and pleasing to the ear. Mr. Pickwick could not help noticing that the English ladies ate a great deal more than they talked, and that the French talked a great deal more than they ate. ‘The English gentlemen seized every opportunity of tossing off a glass of wine, and the French awaited patiently the moment when the time should arrive for the male portion of the company to partake of © the supper. Mr. Winkle had unhappily undertaken to wait upon a Scotch wali with a young daughter of about ten or eleven; and the trouble she ‘gave him was as “inconceivable as it was fationing. Mr. Winkle — fancied his toils would never end; for the young “dane! hter had appa- rently made up her mind to taste every dish on the ‘table; and Mr, Winkle was every moment adjured, ‘‘as a good soul,” to procure “ag i Gomicbooks.co n q ,> 4 7 i; 4 hy ‘ @ } a