Pickwick Abroad; or, The Tour in France — page 70: what you’re looking at

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

PICKWICK ABROAD. 57 cally up the ladder to request the captain to put back: but “the stoker” qualified his statement’in time, by assuring us that it was only in America such things ever occurred. We accordingly suffered the captain to continue the adventurous voyage. In three hours—rather a long passage, I was informed, the French steam-boat beating us by five-and-twenty minutes, to the great annoy- ance of Captain String, who commanded the vessel in which we were -—we entered Calais harbour. There is a long wooden pier of admir- able structure on one side, and a small fort on the other. The pier is a mile in length, and is a favourite resort, the captain informed me, for the unfortunate Englishmen whose qualifications for exile have been obtained through the medium of certain little extravagancies and unpaid liabilities. The spires of the town-hall, the light-house, and the tower of the church, are the most remarkable objects that strike the eye on arrival at Calais. ‘The sky has pretty nearly the same appearance here as in England; and the colour of the ocean remains the same. The sand- nills on the right-hand s:de of the harbour as you go towards the town, form an interesting variety to the surrounding scenes, and afford a pleasant seclusion, where a duel may be fought in tranquillity without iear of interruption, ee eee Having taken advantage of the momentous period when Mr. Pick- wick and his companions filled the znéerieur of the diligence with a sweet concert of nasal music, to lay the above important notes before the reader, we must now request the same intelligent audience to sup- pose that the morning has just dawned, that the diligence is entering the episcopal town of Beauvais, and that Mr. Pickwick and his com- panions are awaking one after the other. An excellent breakfast at the above-mentioned place awaited them ; and certain roast turkeys, game, pigeons, and bottles of wine, aided by little loaves of bread and large cups of coffee, were done ample justice to by the hungry travel- lers. Mr. Crashem enquired of the conductor how long the diligence usually waited ; and on receiving a reply —through the medium of the waiter—that it could only tarry half an hour, he expressed his regret at not being able to call on his particular and intimate friend, the Bishop of Beauvais. Mr. Winkle sympathized in Mr. Crashem’s mortification at this disappointment—Mr. Boozie remarked that it was an excellent turkey of which he was eating, and then declared him- self to be in error, as it was a fowl—and the gendarme drank raw brandy with the conductor of the diligence. ** Fine mornin’, Sir,” said Mr. Weller, touching his hat, and address- ing himself to his master, during the last five minutes of the prescribed half-hour, and when the travellers were about to resume their respec- tive seats in the diligence. ‘‘ Fine mornin’, Sir.” ‘Nice and frosty, Sam,” returned Mr. Pickwick, whose nose was blue with the cold. ‘‘ Healthy weather, this.” ** And seasonable, Sir,’ added Mr. Weller, “as the boy said yen he turned the cat out vithout her skin in the dog-days.” “ Pleasant travelling, this, Sam,” observed Mr. Pickwick, smiling at his faithful servant’s remark. Se. | | EGomichbooks (E() =