Pickwick Abroad; or, The Tour in France — page 365: what you’re looking at

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

302 syCK WICK ABROAD. cd haying opened it with an air ef the most portentous mystery, perused the following effusion aloud, for the purpose of correcting any errors before he despatched it to his wife. LINES. There ain’t no place, my dearest Mary, Vere I don’t think of thee, Ven you’re lookin’ up the kitchen airey Vith a hinfant on your knee. Oh! ven you’re gazin’ through the vinder To vatch for my return, My heart, vich your charms has made a cinder, To wery dust vill burn. ‘ Dear Mary, I’ll ever think of you ;— Te haven’t a dearer friend than our vife, As the gen’leman said as vos transported for life For havin’ married two. To Dulwich [I shall haste so nimbly Ven Pickvick gives the vord ; And seated in the kitchen chimbley, IT 7ll tell you all I’ve heard. So, Mary, in a glass of brandy U’ll drink myself and you; And ven I’ve next got the bottle handy, IT can toast the basbies too. But best friends must part, thro’ some mishap, As the mouse observed, vith a troubled mind, Ven he vos forced to leave half of his tail behind, As he escaped from the trap. ‘¢Vell—that ain’t a bad ef-fusion, barring the length o’ some of the lines,” said Mr. Weller, with a smack of his lips, as he doubled up the paper once again; and placed it in the letter he had penned to his wife. ‘I don’t vant to come Varren or Rowland, or any o’ them wulgar poets, over my dear Mary—but I thought as how a couple o’ werses vouldn’t do no harm. Puts the vimen in a good humour vith their-selves. Sonnets 1s best ieee: they’re the most powerful hingines of despairing lovyers. Much. better than attex mpts at suicide, And then if a gen’leman does i his throat now-a- days, the gars is so wery stupid, they alvays brings in a werdicto’ Fell in the Sea. It’s*a national disgrace, that there system of werdicts is!” Thus musing, Ma. Weller folded u ip his letter, wafered it, and had just terminated the direction, when Mr. Lawson made his appearance, Mr. Kallaway having been duly supplied with every article of the toz- lette which he required, through the kindness of the landlord. Mr, Weller hastened to settle the account of Mr. Snodgrass with Mr. Lawson; and when that important matter was achieved, he threw the portmanteau of the former centleman lightly on his left shoulder, stuck his hat just above his ri ‘ht ear, and sauntered out of the hotel in a manner which could not fail to edify all who saw him, in the Same way as the whistle in which he indulged himself as he ‘passed. down the street, must have materially pleased those lovers of vocal & music whose ears its volume reached. e comicbooks.com