Pickwick Abroad; or, The Tour in France — page 338: what you’re looking at

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

PICKWICK ABROAD. 325 laway. ‘I always said that Pickwick was an upright and honourable man, in spite of what Mr. Siffkin had heard against him; and although he don’t like me to mention anything about the black and white boar, I can assure him that Richard Holloway, the turnpike 9? man — *« Peruse that letter, Sir,’ said Mr. Pickwick, handing Mr. Scuttle’s effusion to Mr. Kallaway. “Upon my honour,” cried Mr. Kallaway, “I delivered your mes- sage as correctly to Mr. Scuttle as you gave it to me;” and the ex. farmer and grazier detailed the conversation which took place between himself and Mr. Scuttle on the evening of the memorable entertain- ment at the cottage in the Batignolles. ‘““Nothing but cross-purposes,”’ said Mr. Scuttle, who now began to understand the errors under which they had all been severally labouring ; “and so, after all, Pickwick is to be my nephew. Well— don’t let him do what I did about five-and-twenty years ago. I ran away with the bride’s-maid, and left the bride to catch her death with cold in the church, waiting forme. ‘The best of it was, I never found out my mistake till I was condemned to pay a thousand pounds for breach of promise of marriage.” ‘¢ May my hair for ever lose its natural curl, if this isn’t the most extraordinary thing that ever yet happened,” remarked Mr. Nassar Siffkin, who suddenly saw all his hopes of possessing Miss Weston vanish into the air. ‘“¢T didn’t tell vou what the vicar said to me,” exclaimed Mr. Kal- laway, thinking that this was a happy moment to conclude his anec- dote. ‘‘ Kallaway,’ said he, ‘that boar of your father-in-law’s is the pride of the country.’—‘ Thank your reverence,’ said I, ‘for your re- verence’s good opinion.’—‘ Yes,’ said he; ‘and the next time the black sow litters, keep a sharp look-out upon Master Sherrin; and if he pulls down any more planks from your pig-stye, tell me of it, and Ill put him into the Spiritual Court.’—That was very kind of the vicar; especially as he’d lost something in the tithes when the little ones were drowned in Sam Whitfield’s pond.” ‘And, pray, does Mrs. Weston know of all that has passed ?”’ en- quired Mr. Pickwick, delighted that matters had thus been brought to so amicable an understanding. ““Oh! no,” answered Mr. Scuttle. ‘‘ Immediately after Siffkin informed me last night of what he had been told a few evenings ago, I wrote the note which you got just now. I should have had a talk with my niece upon these matters in the course of the afternoon; but am glad that the thing is arranged as itis. Ain’t you, Siffkin 2?” ““Oh! very,’ answered that gentleman, with a look which did anything but corroborate his assertion. ‘¢ But Richard Holloway, the turnpike-man, declared that ever since he’d had the situation given to him as a recompence for not having gone forward as a witness on the Coroner’s inquest, in that affair where the two paupers were starved to death —”’ Mr. Pickwick did not stay to hear the remainder of Mr. Kallaway’s anecdote: he shook hands with the three gentlemen one after the other, desired Mr. Scuttle to give his best love to Mrs. Weston, and hastened home to communicate the result of his visit to his two 9 friends, who anxiously awaited his return. comicoools (E(@) = sit LE