Pickwick Abroad; or, The Tour in France — page 398: what you’re looking at

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

he slightly alluded to. ( 385 ) CHAPTER XLVII. THE VISIT OF MR. TRACY TUPMAN TO A VERY EXTRAORDINARY PRO} FESSIONAL GENTLEMAN.—AN ODD ENCOUNTER BROUGHT ABOUT IN A VERY ODD MANNER.—MR. TUPMAN’S HEART MELTED BY LOVELY WOMAN'S TEARS. In the meantime, Mr. Pickwick and his three friends, attended by Mr. Weller, had returned home. Nota syllable had been uttered by either during their progress from the Rue Taitbout to the Rue Royale; and when they were once more in their own lodgings, the moment was anxiously awaited for Mr. Pickwick to untie his own tongue and those of his followers by the utterance of some remark that might originate a general conversation. ‘That moment—a moment so anxiously looked for—arrived: the great man laid aside his hat and gloves, and then spoke as follows :— ‘“¢ Sam,” said Mr. Pickwick, ** Sir,” cried Mr. Weller. ‘“‘ Lunch,” returned Mr. Pickwick; ‘and bring up a bottle of our best Madeira.” “ Di-rectly, Sir,” said Mr. Weller, rejoiced to perceive that his re- vered master meditated a meal instead of a murder upon himself. ** My dear friends,’’ began Mr. Pickwick, when Mr. Weller had left the room, “‘I am not sorry for the turn which the events of this morning have taken. I was about to commit a folly—a most egregious folly, I may say—” ‘* No—no!” interrupted both My. Snodgrass and Mr. Winkle; while a very dubious sound, something between a grunt and a short cough, emanated from the lips, or rather the throat, of Mr. Tupman. ‘“‘ Yes, my dear friends,” continued Mr. Pickwick, softened almost to tears; but whether through the ejaculation of Messrs. Winkle and Snodgrass, or on account of the less affecting conduct of Mr. Tupman, does not appear: ‘‘ I should have lived to repent the match. You see that Mrs. Weston is a versatile character, and easily swayed by the influence of others: she is therefore a weak, though a well-meaning, woman. It is better as it is; and now let us dismiss the subject from our minds.” At this moment Mr. Weller made his appearance with the tray, which contained a variety of good things. ‘These were speedily arranged upon the table, together with the Madeira that Mr. Pickwick had just ‘‘ Now, gen’lemen, pitch into ’em, as the prize-fighters say,”’ ex- clayned Mr. Weller. ‘‘I feel wery vell conwinced you must be a-hungry arter the excitin’ ewents o’ the mornin’.” _ “T have not lost my appetite, for one,” said Mr. Pickwick, whose countenance was as good-humoured as if nothing disagreeable had taken place, ** Wery narrer es-cape you’ve had on it, Sir,” observed Mr. Weller; 49 Gomicbooks (E(0) =