Mr。Allen,saidMr。Pickwick,whatisthematter,sir?
Nevermind,sir!repliedMr。Allen,withhaughtydefiance。
Whatisit?inquiredMr。Pickwick,lookingatBobSawyer。Isheunwell?
BeforeBobcouldreply,Mr。BenAllenseizedMr。Pickwickbythehand,andmurmured,insorrowfulaccents,Mysister,mydearsir。mysister。
Oh,isthatall!saidMr。Pickwick。Weshalleasilyarrangethatmatter,Ihope。Yoursisterissafeandwell,andIamhere,mydearsir,to——
Sorrytodoanythin’asmaycauseaninterruptiontosuchwerypleasantproceedin’s,asthekingsaidwenhedissolvedtheparliament,interposedMr。Weller,whohadbeenpeepingthroughtheglassdoor。butthere’sanotherexperimenthere,sir。Here’sawenerableoldladyalyin’onthecarpetwaitin’fordissection,orgalwinism,orsomeotherrewivin’andscientificinwention。
Iforgot,exclaimedMr。BenAllen。Itismyaunt。
Dearme!saidMr。Pickwick。Poorlady!Gently,Sam,gently。
Strangesitivationforoneo’thefamily,observedSamWeller,hoistingtheauntintoachair。Now,depittySawbones,bringoutthewollatilly!
Thelatterobservationwasaddressedtotheboyingrey,who,havinghandedovertheflytothecareofthestreet-keeper,hadcomebacktoseewhatallthenoisewasabout。Betweentheboyingrey,andMr。BobSawyer,andMr。BenjaminAllenwhohavingfrightenedhisauntintoafaintingfit,wasaffectionatelysolicitousforherrecoverytheoldladywas,atlength,restoredtoconsciousness。thenMr。BenAllen,turningwithapuzzledcountenancetoMr。Pickwick,askedhimwhathewasabouttosay,whenhehadbeensoalarminglyinterrupted。
Weareallfriendshere,Ipresume?saidMr。Pickwick,clearinghisvoice,andlookingtowardsthemanoffewwordswiththesurlycountenance,whodrovetheflywiththechubbyhorse。
ThisremindedMr。BobSawyerthattheboyingreywaslookingon,witheyeswideopen,andgreedyears。Theincipientchemisthavingbeenliftedupbyhiscoatcollar,anddroppedoutsidethedoor,BobSawyerassuredMr。Pickwickthathemightspeakwithoutreserve。
Yoursister,mydearsir,saidMr。Pickwick,turningtoBenjaminAllen,isinLondon。wellandhappy。
Herhappinessisnoobjecttome,sir,saidMr。BenjaminAllen,withaflourishofthehand。
Herhusbandisanobjecttome,sir,saidBobSawyer。
Heshallbeanobjecttome,sir,attwelvepaces,andaveryprettyobjectI’llmakeofhim,sir——amean-spiritedscoundrel!This,asitstood,wasaveryprettydenunciation,andmagnanimouswithal。butMr。BobSawyerratherweakeneditseffect,bywindingupwithsomegeneralobservationsconcerningthepunchingofheadsandknockingoutofeyes,whichwerecommonplacebycomparison。
Stay,sir,saidMr。Pickwick。beforeyouapplythoseepithetstothegentlemaninquestion,consider,dispassionately,theextentofhisfault,andaboveallrememberthatheisafriendofmine。
What!saidMr。BobSawyer。
Hisname!criedBenAllen。Hisname!
Mr。NathanielWinkle,saidMr。Pickwick。
Mr。BenjaminAllendeliberatelycrushedhisspectaclesbeneaththeheelofhisboot,andhavingpickedupthepieces,andputthemintothreeseparatepockets,foldedhisarms,bithislips,andlookedinathreateningmannerattheblandfeaturesofMr。Pickwick。
Thenit’syou,isit,sir,whohaveencouragedandbroughtaboutthismatch?inquiredMr。BenjaminAllenatlength。
Andit’sthisgentleman’sservant,Isuppose,interruptedtheoldlady,whohasbeenskulkingaboutmyhouse,andendeavouringtoentrapmyservantstoconspireagainsttheirmistress。Martin!
Well?saidthesurlyman,comingforward。
Isthattheyoungmanyousawinthelane,whomyoutoldmeabout,thismorning?
Mr。Martin,who,asithasalreadyappeared,wasamanoffewwords,lookedatSamWeller,noddedhishead,andgrowledforth,That’stheman!
Mr。Weller,whowasneverproud,gaveasmileoffriendlyrecognitionashiseyesencounteredthoseofthesurlygroom,andadmitted,incourteousterms,thathehadknowedhimafore。
Andthisisthefaithfulcreature,exclaimedMr。BenAllen,whomIhadnearlysuffocated!Mr。Pickwick,howdareyouallowyourfellowtobeemployedintheabductionofmysister?Idemandthatyouexplainthismatter,sir。
Explainit,sir!criedBobSawyer,fiercely。
It’saconspiracy,saidBenAllen。
Aregularplant,addedMr。BobSawyer。
Adisgracefulimposition,observedtheoldlady。
Nothingbutado,remarkedMartin。
Prayhearme,urgedMr。Pickwick,asMr。BenAllenfellintoachairthatpatientswerebledin,andgavewaytohispocket-handkerchief。I
haverenderednoassistanceinthismatter,beyondthatofbeingpresentatoneinterviewbetweentheyoungpeople,whichIcouldnotprevent,andfromwhichIconceivedmypresencewouldremoveanyslightcolouringofimproprietythatitmightotherwisehavehad。thisisthewholeshareI
havetakeninthetransaction,andIhadnosuspicionthatanimmediatemarriagewasevencontemplated。Though,mind,addedMr。Pickwick,hastilycheckinghimself,mind,IdonotsayIshouldhavepreventedit,ifIhadknownthatitwasintended。
Youhearthat,allofyou。youhearthat?saidMr。BenjaminAllen。
Ihopetheydo,mildlyobservedMr。Pickwick,lookinground,and,
addedthatgentleman:hiscolourmountingashespoke:Ihopetheyhearthis,sir,also。Thatfromwhathasbeenstatedtome,sir,Iassertthatyouwerebynomeansjustifiedinattemptingtoforceyoursister’sinclinationsasyoudid,andthatyoushouldratherhaveendeavouredbyyourkindnessandforbearancetohavesuppliedtheplaceofothernearerrelationswhomshehasneverknown,fromachild。Asregardsmyyoungfriend,Imustbegtoadd,thatineverypointofworldlyadvantage,heis,atleast,onanequalfootingwithyourself,ifnotonamuchbetterone,andthatunlessIhearthisquestiondiscussedwithbecomingtemperandmoderation,Ideclinehearinganymoresaiduponthesubject。
Iwishtomakeaweryfewremarksinadditiontowothasbeenputforardbythehonorablegen’l’m’nashasjistgiveover,saidMr。Weller,steppingforth,wichisthishere:aindiwidualincompanyhascalledmeafeller。
Thathasnothingwhatevertodowiththematter,Sam,interposedMr。
Pickwick。Prayholdyourtongue。
Iain’tagoin’tosaynothin’onthat’erepint,sir,repliedSam,butmerelythishere。P’rapsthatgen’l’m’nmaythinkastherewosapriory’tachment。butthereworn’tnothin’o’thesort,fortheyoungladysaid,inthewerybeginnin’o’thekeepin’company,thatshecouldn’tabidehim。
Nobody’scuthimout,andit’udha’beenjistthewerysameforhimiftheyoungladyhadneverseenMr。Vinkle。That’swotIwishedtosay,sir,andIhopeI’venowmadethat’eregen’l’m’n’smindeasy。
AshortpausefollowedtheseconsolatoryremarksofMr。Weller。ThenMr。BenAllenrisingfromhischair,protestedthathewouldneverseeArabella’sfaceagain:whileMr。BobSawyer,despiteSam’sflatteringassurance,voweddreadfulvengeanceonthehappybridegroom。
But,justwhenmatterswereattheirheight,andthreateningtoremainso,Mr。Pickwickfoundapowerfulassistantintheoldlady,who,evidentlymuchstruckbythemodeinwhichhehadadvocatedherniece’scause,venturedtoapproachMr。BenjaminAllenwithafewcomfortingreflections,ofwhichthechiefwere,thatafterall,perhaps,itwaswellitwasnoworse。theleastsaidthesoonestmended,anduponherwordshedidnotknowthatitwassoverybadafterall。whatwasovercouldn’tbebegun,andwhatcouldn’tbecuredmustbeendured:withvariousotherassurancesofthelikenovelandstrengtheningdescription。Toallofthese,Mr。BenjaminAllenrepliedthathemeantnodisrespecttohisaunt,oranybodythere,butifitwereallthesametothem,andtheywouldallowhimtohavehisownway,hewouldratherhavethepleasureofhatinghissistertilldeath,andafterit。
Atlength,whenthisdeterminationhadbeenannouncedhalfahundredtimes,theoldladysuddenlybridlingupandlookingverymajestic,wishedtoknowwhatshehaddonethatnorespectwastobepaidtoheryearsorstation,andthatsheshouldbeobligedtobegandpray,inthatway,ofherownnephew,whomsherememberedaboutfive-and-twentyyearsbeforehewasborn,andwhomshehadknown,personally,whenhehadn’tatoothinhishead?Tosaynothingofherpresenceonthefirstoccasionofhishavinghishaircut,andassistanceatnumerousothertimesandceremoniesduringhisbabyhood,ofsufficientimportancetofoundaclaimuponhisaffection,obedience,andsympathies,forever。
WhilethegoodladywasbestowingthisobjurgationonMr。BenAllen,BobSawyerandMr。Pickwickhadretiredincloseconversationtotheinnerroom,whereMr。Sawyerwasobservedtoapplyhimselfseveraltimestothemouthofablackbottle,undertheinfluenceofwhich,hisfeaturesgraduallyassumedacheerfulandevenjovialexpression。Andatlastheemergedfromtheroom,bottleinhand,and,remarkingthathewasverysorrytosayhehadbeenmakingafoolofhimself,beggedtoproposethehealthandhappinessofMr。andMrs。Winkle,whosefelicity,sofarfromenvying,hewouldbethefirsttocongratulatethemupon。Hearingthis,Mr。BenAllensuddenlyarosefromhischair,and,seizingtheblackbottle,drankthetoastsoheartily,that,theliquorbeingstrong,hebecamenearlyasblackinthefaceasthebottle。Finally,theblackbottlewentroundtillitwasempty,andtherewassomuchshakingofhandsandinterchangingofcompliments,thateventhemetal-visagedMr。Martincondescendedtosmile。
Andnow,saidBobSawyer,rubbinghishands,we’llhaveajollynight。
Iamsorry,saidMr。Pickwick,thatImustreturntomyinn。Ihavenotbeenaccustomedtofatiguelately,andmyjourneyhastiredmeexceedingly。
You’lltakesometea,Mr。Pickwick?saidtheoldlady,withirresistiblesweetness。
Thankyou,Iwouldrathernot,repliedthatgentleman。Thetruthis,thattheoldlady’sevidentlyincreasingadmiration,wasMr。Pickwick’sprincipalinducementforgoingaway。HethoughtofMrs。Bardell。andeveryglanceoftheoldlady’seyesthrewhimintoacoldperspiration。
AsMr。Pickwickcouldbynomeansbeprevailedupontostay,itwasarrangedatonce,onhisownproposition,thatMr。BenjaminAllenshouldaccompanyhimonhisjourneytotheelderMr。Winkle’s,andthatthecoachshouldbeatthedoor,atnineo’clocknextmorning。Hethentookhisleave,and,followedbySamuelWeller,repairedtotheBush。Itisworthyofremark,thatMr。Martin’sfacewashorriblyconvulsedasheshookhandswithSamatparting,andthathegaveventtoasmileandanoathsimultaneously:
fromwhichtokensithasbeeninferredbythosewhowerebestacquaintedwiththatgentleman’speculiarities,thatheexpressedhimselfmuchpleasedwithMr。Weller’ssociety,andrequestedthehonourofhisfurtheracquaintance。
ShallIorderaprivateroom,sir?inquiredSam,whentheyreachedtheBush。
Why,no,Sam,repliedMr。Pickwick。asIdinedinthecoffeeroom,andshallgotobedsoon,itishardlyworthwhile。Seewhothereisinthetravellers’room,Sam。
Mr。Wellerdepartedonhiserrand,andpresentlyreturnedtosay,thattherewasonlyagentlemanwithoneeye。andthatheandthelandlordweredrinkingabowlofbishoptogether。
Iwilljointhem,saidMr。Pickwick。
He’saqueercustomer,thevun-eyedvun,sir,observedMr。Weller,asheledtheway。He’sagammonin’that’erelandlord,heis,sir,tillhedon’trightlyknowwetherhe’sastandingonthesolesofhisbootsorthecrownofhishat。
Theindividualtowhomthisobservationreferred,wassittingattheupperendoftheroomwhenMr。Pickwickentered,andwassmokingalargeDutchpipe,withhiseyeintentlyfixedontheroundfaceofthelandlord:
ajolly-lookingoldpersonage,towhomhehadrecentlybeenrelatingsometaleofwonder,aswastestifiedbysundrydisjointedexclamationsof,Well,Iwouldn’thavebelievedit!ThestrangestthingIeverheard!Couldn’thavesupposeditpossible!andotherexpressionsofastonishmentwhichburstspontaneouslyfromhislips,ashereturnedthefixedgazeoftheone-eyedman。
Servant,sir,saidtheone-eyedmantoMr。Pickwick。Finenight,sir。
Verymuchsoindeed,repliedMr。Pickwick,asthewaiterplacedasmalldecanterofbrandy,andsomehotwaterbeforehim。
WhileMr。Pickwickwasmixinghisbrandyandwater,theone-eyedmanlookedroundathimearnestly,fromtimetotime,andatlengthsaid:
IthinkI’veseenyoubefore。
Idon’trecollectyou,rejoinedMr。Pickwick。
Idaresaynot,saidtheone-eyedman。Youdidn’tknowme,butIknewtwofriendsofyoursthatwerestoppingatthePeacockatEatanswill,atthetimeoftheElection。
Oh,indeed!exclaimedMr。Pickwick。
Yes,rejoinedtheone-eyedman。ImentionedalittlecircumstancetothemaboutafriendofmineofthenameofTomSmart。Perhapsyou’veheardthemspeakofit。
Often,rejoinedMr。Pickwick,smiling。Hewasyouruncle,Ithink?
No,no。onlyafriendofmyuncle’s,repliedtheone-eyedman。
Hewasawonderfulman,thatuncleofyours,though,remarkedthelandlord,shakinghishead。
Well,Ithinkhewas,IthinkImaysayhewas,answeredtheone-eyedman。Icouldtellyouastoryaboutthatsameuncle,gentlemen,thatwouldrathersurpriseyou。
Couldyou?saidMr。Pickwick。Letushearit,byallmeans。
Theone-eyedBagmanladledoutaglassofnegusfromthebowl,anddrankit。smokedalongwhiffoutoftheDutchpipe。andthen,callingtoSamWeller,whowaslingeringnearthedoor,thatheneedn’tgoawayunlesshewantedto,becausethestorywasnosecret,fixedhiseyeuponthelandlord’sandproceeded,inthewordsofthenextchapter。
[NextChapter][TableofContents]ThePickwickPapers:Chapter49[PreviousChapter][TableofContents]CHAPTERXLIXCONTAININGTHESTORYOFTHEBEGMAN’SUNCLE
MYuncle,gentlemen,saidthebagman,wasoneofthemerriest,pleasantest,cleverestfellowsthateverlived。Iwishyouhadknownhim,gentlemen。Onsecondthoughts,gentlemen,Idon’twishyouhadknownhim,forifyouhad,youwouldhavebeenall,bythistime,intheordinarycourseofnature,ifnotdead,atalleventssonearit,astohavetakentostoppingathomeandgivingupcompany:whichwouldhavedeprivedmeoftheinestimablepleasureofaddressingyouatthismoment。Gentlemen,Iwishyourfathersandmothershadknownmyuncle。
Theywouldhavebeenamazinglyfondofhim,especiallyyourrespectablemothers。Iknowtheywould。Ifanytwoofhisnumerousvirtuespredominatedoverthemanythatadornedhischaracter,Ishouldsaytheywerehismixedpunchandhisaftersuppersong。Excusemydwellingonthesemelancholyrecollectionsofdepartedworth。youwon’tseeamanlikemyuncleeverydayintheweek。
Ihavealwaysconsidereditagreatpointinmyuncle’scharacter,gentlemen,thathewastheintimatefriendandcompanionofTomSmart,ofthegreathouseofBilsonandSlum,CateatonStreet,City。MyunclecollectedforTigginandWelps,butforalongtimehewentprettynearthesamejourneyasTom。andtheveryfirstnighttheymet,myuncletookafancyforTom,andTomtookafancyformyuncle。Theymadeabetofanewhatbeforetheyhadknowneachotherhalfanhour,whoshouldbrewthebestquartofpunchanddrinkitthequickest。Myunclewasjudgedtohavewonthemaking,butTomSmartbeathiminthedrinkingbyabouthalfasalt-spoon-full。Theytookanotherquarta-piecetodrinkeachother’shealthin,andwerestaunchfriendseverafterwards。There’sadestinyinthesethings,gentlemen。wecan’thelpit。
Inpersonalappearance,myunclewasatrifleshorterthanthemiddlesize。hewasathoughtstoutertoo,thantheordinaryrunofpeople,andperhapshisfacemightbeashaderedder。Hehadthejolliestfaceyoueversaw,gentlemen:somethinglikePunch,withahandsomernoseandchin。
hiseyeswerealwaystwinklingandsparklingwithgoodhumour。andasmile——notoneofyourunmeaningwoodengrins,butareal,merry,hearty,good-temperedsmile——wasperpetuallyonhiscountenance。Hewaspitchedoutofhisgigonce,andknocked,headfirst,againstamile-stone。Therehelay,stunned,andsocutaboutthefacewithsomegravelwhichhadbeenheapedupalongsideit,that,tousemyuncle’sownstrongexpression,ifhismothercouldhaverevisitedtheearth,shewouldn’thaveknownhim。Indeed,whenIcometothinkofthematter,gentlemen,Ifeelprettysureshewouldn’t,forshediedwhenmyunclewastwoyearsandsevenmonthsold,andIthinkit’sverylikelythat,evenwithoutthegravel,histop-bootswouldhavepuzzledthegoodladynotalittle:tosaynothingofhisjollyredface。
However,therehelay,andIhaveheardmyunclesay,manyatime,thatthemansaidwhopickedhimupthathewassmilingasmerrilyasifhehadtumbledoutforatreat,andthataftertheyhadbledhim,thefirstfaintglimmeringsofreturninganimation,were,hisjumpingupinbed,burstingoutintoaloudlaugh,kissingtheyoungwomanwhoheldthebasin,anddemandingamuttonchopandapickledwalnut。Hewasveryfondofpickledwalnuts,gentlemen。Hesaidhealwaysfoundthat,takenwithoutvinegar,theyrelishedthebeer。
Myuncle’sgreatjourneywasinthefalloftheleaf,atwhichtimehecollecteddebts,andtookorders,inthenorth:goingfromLondontoEdinburgh,fromEdinburghtoGlasgow,fromGlasgowbacktoEdinburgh,andthencetoLondonbythesmack。YouaretounderstandthathissecondvisittoEdinburghwasforhisownpleasure。Heusedtogobackforaweek,justtolookuphisoldfriends。andwhatwithbreakfastingwiththisone,lunchingwiththat,diningwithathird,andsuppingwithanother,aprettytightweekheusedtomakeofit。Idon’tknowwhetheranyofyou,gentlemen,everpartookofarealsubstantialhospitableScotchbreakfast,andthenwentouttoaslightlunchofabushelofoysters,adozenorsoofbottledale,andanogginortwoofwhiskeytocloseupwith。Ifyoueverdid,youwillagreewithmethatitrequiresaprettystrongheadtogoouttodinnerandsupperafterwards。
But,blessyourheartsandeye-brows,allthissortofthingwasnothingtomyuncle!Hewassowellseasoned,thatitwasmerechild’splay。I
haveheardhimsaythathecouldseetheDundeepeopleout,anyday,andwalkhomeafterwardswithoutstaggering。andyettheDundeepeoplehaveasstrongheadsandasstrongpunch,gentlemen,asyouarelikelytomeetwith,betweenthepoles。IhaveheardofaGlasgowmanandaDundeemandrinkingagainsteachotherforfifteenhoursatasitting。Theywerebothsuffocated,asnearlyascouldbeascertained,atthesamemoment,butwiththistriflingexception,gentlemen,theywerenotabittheworseforit。
Onenight,withinfour-and-twentyhoursofthetimewhenhehadsettledtotakeshippingforLondon,myunclesuppedatthehouseofaveryoldfriendofhis,aBaillieMacsomethingandfoursyllablesafterit,wholivedintheoldtownofEdinburgh。Therewerethebaillie’swife,andthebaillie’sthreedaughters,andthebaillie’sgrown-upson,andthreeorfourstout,bushyeye-browed,cannyoldScotchfellows,thatthebailliehadgottogethertodohonourtomyuncle,andhelptomakemerry。Itwasaglorioussupper。TherewerekipperedSalmon,andFinnanhaddocks,andalamb’shead,andahaggis——acelebratedScotchdish,gentlemen,whichmyuncleusedtosayalwayslookedtohim,whenitcametotable,verymuchlikeacupid’sstomach——andagreatmanyotherthingsbesides,thatIforgotthenamesof,butverygoodthingsnotwithstanding。Thelassieswereprettyandagreeable。thebaillie’swifewasoneofthebestcreaturesthateverlived。andmyunclewasinthoroughlygoodcue。Theconsequenceofwhichwas,thattheyoungladiestitteredandgiggled,andtheoldladylaughedoutloud,andthebaillieandtheotheroldfellowsroaredtilltheywereredintheface,thewholemortaltime。Idon’tquiterecollecthowmanytumblersofwhiskeytoddyeachmandrankaftersupper。butthisIknow,thataboutoneo’clockinthemorning,thebaillie’sgrown-upsonbecameinsensiblewhileattemptingthefirstverseof`Williebrewedapecko’maut’。andhehavingbeen,forhalfanhourbefore,theonlyothermanvisibleabovethemahogany,itoccurredtomyunclethatitwasalmosttimetothinkaboutgoing:especiallyasdrinkinghadsetinatseveno’clock,inorderthathemightgethomeatadecenthour。But,thinkingitmightnotbequitepolitetogojustthen,myunclevotedhimselfintothechair,mixedanotherglass,rosetoproposehisownhealth,addressedhimselfinaneatandcomplimentaryspeech,anddrankthetoastwithgreatenthusiasm。
Stillnobodywoke。somyuncletookalittledropmore——neatthistime,topreventthetoddyfromdisagreeingwithhim——and,layingviolenthandsonhishat,salliedforthintothestreet。
Itwasawildgustynightwhenmyuncleclosedthebaillie’sdoor,andsettlinghishatfirmlyonhishead,topreventthewindfromtakingit,thrusthishandsintohispockets,andlookingupward,tookashortsurveyofthestateoftheweather。Thecloudsweredriftingoverthemoonattheirgiddiestspeed:atonetimewhollyobscuringher:atanother,sufferinghertoburstforthinfullsplendourandshedherlightonalltheobjectsaround:anon,drivingoverheragain,withincre...完整阅读请扫描二维码下载丁香书院APP免费看:
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