Pickwick Abroad; or, The Tour in France — page 204: what you’re looking at

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

a we ee / PICKWICK ABROAD. ig} _ munit, and valks boldly into the bank. But there he stays so precious along tims, that Sorely gets uneasy—goes to ask about his friend— and finds that he vent slap through the bank, arter having made some ridicklous enquiry o’ the first clerk he sees, and disappeared by a door vich lea into a back street. Sorely rushes back in desperation to the hackney-coach, and orders the jarvey to drive to the hot-tel at the Vest End. As they goes along the Strand, Mr. Sorely tvigs his customer a-vaikin’ as coolly as if nothin’ had happened : so, in order to lose no time, he opens the coach door his-self, jumps out+chiveys the svell covey, who soon seed him, up the Strand; an’ avay they vent like good uns, as the Newgate chaplin said ven the prisoners vent forth to be hanged. It where a prime spree, Sir—I warrant ye: but just as Mr. Sorely, whose face vos red and hissin’, had catched the chap by the scruff o’ the neck, another chap catches hold of him, a cryin’ wery loud in his ear, ‘ You thundrin’ thief! this here’s your conspiraycy, is it? to bilk a poor feller like me, as has got a vife and thirteen small childern, out o’ his fare. Blessed if I didn’t suspect you vos a riglar do ven I tvigged your precious face at fust.’—This vos the hackney-coachman ; and so sudden vos his attack upon the unforinit Mr. Sorely, that the t’other gen’leman made his escape, and Vos never seen arterwards by no von,”’ “Very extraordinary,” said Mr. Pickwick, when his valet had brought this interesting tale to a conclusion. ‘ But, do you know, that I am very uneasy about lupman? I am afraid he has again fallen into the hands of unprincipled characters.” Mr. Weller appeared to reflect for a moment: then, suddenly relapsing into smiles, he exclaimed, ‘‘ There’s von man, Sir, as “ud do your affair, an’ discover vere Mr. Tupman is, even if he vosn’t in this vorld at all.” “Who is he, Sam?” enquired Mr. Pickwick, hastily. “ Johnny-Darmy, Sir,” was the abrupt answer. Mr. Pickwick instantly seated himself at his writing-desk, and penned a brief note to M. Dumont, which Mr. Weller in due time conveyed to the twopenny post. But the arrival of this gentlentan was anxiously and vainly waited for on that and the three followimg days. On the fourth he, however, made his appearance, and aceounted for the delay by informing his friends that he had been absent from Paris on particular business con- nected with his vocation. Mr. Pickwick then stated the dilemma in which he was placed with regard to his friend Mr. Tracy Tupman, and was not a little rejoiced when the good-natured Gendarme assured him that in less than three hours the place of Mr. Tupman’s destina- tion should be duly discovered. Thrice did the long hand of Mr. Pickwick’s watch perform its revolution round the dial—thrice did the adjacent clocks proclaim the lapse of another hour—and thrice did the great man console him- self with the reflection that he would soon be close upon the traces of | hhis absconded friend. At length, true to his promise, M. Dumont returned, and presented himself to Mr. Pickwick with a smile of satis- faction upon his countenance. Hf a my good fellow, what news ?” demanded Mr, Pickwick, astily. EO PMMICLOOOLKS (E(@) =)