Pickwick Abroad; or, The Tour in France — page 52: what you’re looking at

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

= PICKWICK ABROAD. 39 fe ae could only have been adopted to drown the ‘‘Saer-r-r-ré nom de Dieu ;” by the utterance of which he relieved the agitation so unlooked for an occurrence had thrown him into. At this crisis Mr. Weller, enveloped in his great-coat, entered the coffee-rsom. “Well, Sam,” som Myr. Pickwick, looking at his watch, and then at the clock in the picture over bs mantel-plece ; ‘‘ what news, Sam ?” “The diligence starts in ten minutes, Sir,’ answered Mr. Weller. ‘¢ Pwe bin to see ail the h ggage safely stow’d avay, and as the wehicle dont gc round the toun to take up pa SSINZETS, ot would be rayther ad- wisable to stump down to the office vich is on’y in the next street.” ‘““Give me my great-coat, then, Sam,” said Mr. Pickw ick; andina moment the immortal gentieman was carefully wrapped up in the above-mentioned garment. Mr. Weller then proceeded t to assist Mr. Fupman and Mr. Winkle to encase their own respective bodies in similar contriv ances, \ which ceremony had scarcely been performed, and the bill duly paid, when Mr. Crashem returned to the coffee-room, mysteriously enveloped in a thick rough coat which he had just pure chased at a ready-made clothes- shop on the Grande Place. Every thing being now ready, and every body prepared for departure, the five travellers followed the porter of the hotel to the diligence office in the Rue Neuve, where they found the five horses already harnessed to the vehicle, and the vehicle itself laden with luggage to the height of about four feet above the roof. ‘The door of the enxterzeur, or cen- tral department of the diligence, was inimediaiely thrown open; and a clerk, armed with a large book and a steel pen, took up his station by the steps. “ Monsieur Peek-veek, number one!” cried the individual just mentioned; and with great dexterity aided Mr. Pickwick into the seat allotted to him, ** Monsieur Weenkell, number two!” continued the man with the book ; “‘ Monsieur Toopman, number three; Afonsieur Crashem, nuns ber four!’ and the gentlemen thus enumerated were also handed in due order into their places. A pause of a few minutes ensued, during which the clerk cast an anxious glance towards the entrance of the coach-yard, as if he were waiting the arrival of other passengers. At length his face brightened up, and two individuals presented themselves at the office-door. ‘* Allons, Messieurs /” cried the man with the book, ‘‘en place /” and he proceeded to read their names, and assign each to his respect- ive seat. ‘* Monsieur Dumont, number five : ; Monsieur Boozie, number six. An’ you, young man, you go der e—you climb imperial —youno break neck, me hep! sg This latter injunction was delivered to Mr. Weller, who ascended to his seat according to the directions given him; and in an another moment the diligence was rolimg along at the safe and easy pace of four miles an hank. By the time the fortifications were passed, Mr. Pickwick had had an opportunity of inspecting the exterior of the two strangers who occupied the fifth and sixth places in the ¢rterieur of the diligence. M. Dumont was an individual about six-and-thirty. His face. was neither hand- EOmicGcdooks (E()