Pickwick Abroad; or, The Tour in France — page 211: what you’re looking at

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

[G8 FICK WICK ABROAD " also wore long ringlets and a plurality of chains, and was attired ina f green cut-away coat with brass buttons, the r emaincer On cs attire, with the exception of his linen, being jet black,” To be brief, there 7 é apo ul these — was a kind of out-and-out rakish and. knowlbg appearanc two gentlemen, that qualified them amazingly weil for thei respective by names, the former delighting in the appellatios 2 0 Pe acock, and the latter illustrating the patronymic of Brandenbergh = ‘‘ Capital fun, wasn’t it Peacock?” biandly pean Mx. Branden- bergh to his friend, to prevent the possibility of his ever being dis- © tantly suspected of leasing. i “Rummest lark I ever had,’ was the reply, corroborative cf the 7 truth of a tale just invented and related | by hi is COE rapanion, “T should think it must have been very amusing,” observed My, Pickwick, waking up from a doze of ten minutes, during which Mr, — Br andenberg sh’s tale had lasted, * | ¢} “Why, w vhat do you think?” continued Mr. Brandenbergh, after a — moment’s prudent reflection: “the lawyers, vias chiefly employ the — gentleman with whom I am studying for the bar, are such sharp © fellows that they advertise something in the following terms:- ‘Messieurs Hookem and Sharpe beg to inform their friends and the 4 public, that they undertake, at every court, to carry g gentlemen through ~ any ordeal which violation of the laws may have subjected them to; that the counsel they employ are peculiarly happy in confounding * witnesses during cross-examination; and that they have already i saved several noblemen and gentlemen from the gallows, trausporta- tion, and the treadmill, respectively for great or minor offences. Business done on ready money terms only..—What do you think of — that for a specimen of the practice of Hookem and Sharpe, who more- over undertake to bribe sherifis’ officers, prove alibis, get a naan straw | bail? &e., &e., &e.” | Mr. Pickwick did think that two more unmitigated rogues thei it the legal gentlemen alluded to, were not at that moment unhung ; ; but @ he contented himself with an expression of astonishment at ther great and versatile talents in every branch of their profession. tt “Ah!” continued Mr, Brandenbergh, to the infinite delight of Mr. ~ Pickwick ; ‘it is no wonder that they did well; for they commenced — upon an excellent foundation. T! hey purchas ed a business in which — ninety-seven suits-at-law, with rich and obstinate clients, had been © already commenced ; and they bought up at five er cent, all the bad bills of the young men about London, That was th way toget onin ~ the profession, and I’m glad I belong to it. But they were born — lawyers, you may say; and I only came into the full possession of my talents when I was about twenty-one,” ‘‘ And a very pretty little reversion it must have been,” said Mz. a Pickwick, innocently, as he awoke from his third doze. Mr. Bran- f denber oh looked cont fused —Mr, Peacock politely requested Mr. Pick- wick to “go it again,’ encouraging him at the same time so to do b ak calling him “ a good old fellow ®—and the remainder of the party sipped the wine hy i the glasses they held in their hands. a “Pray,” said Mr. Winkle, addressing himself to Mr. Peac cocky Ny whose degagé air he considerably admired, ‘have you lett London ms long, Sir ?”’ me ‘ali Sirs rr, of comicbooks.com