THE PICKWICK CLUB.
531
CHAPTER XLIX.
HOW MR. PICKWICK SPED UPON HIS MISSION, AND HOW HE WAS REINFORCED IN THE OUTSET BY A MOST UNEXPECTED AUXILIARY.
The horses were put to, punctually at a quarter before nine next morning, and Mr. Pickwick and Sam Weller having each taken his seat, the one inside and the other out. the postilion was duly directed to repair in the first instance to Mr. Bob Sawyer's house, for the purpose of taking up Mr. Benjamin Allen.
It was with feelings of no small astonishment, when the carriage drew up before the door with the red lamp, and the very legible inscrip- tion of " Sawyer, late Nockemorf," that Mr. Pickwick saw, on popping liis head out of the coach-window, the boy in the grey livevy very busily employed in putting up the shutters: the which being an unusual and rather un-business-like proceeding at that hour of the morning, at once suggested to his mind two inferences — the one, that some good friend and patient of Mr. Bob Sawyer's was dead ; the other, that Mr. Bob Sawyer himself was bankrupt.
- ' What is the matter } " said Mr. Pickwick to the boy.
" Nothing's the matter. Sir," replied the boy, expanding his mouth to the whole breadth of his countenance.
- ' All right, all right, cried Bob Sawyer, suddenly appearing at the
door, with a small leathern knapsack, limp and dirty, in one hand, and a rough coat and shawl thrown over the other arm. I'm going, old fellow."
•* You ! " exclaimed Mr. Pickwick.
"Yes," replied Bob Sawyer, "and a regular expedition we'll make of it. Here, Sam — look out." Thus briefly bespeaking Mr. Weller's attention, Mr. Bob Sawyer jerked the leathern knapsack into the dickey, where it was immediately stowed away under the seat, by Sam, who regarded the proceeding with great admiration. This done, Mr. Bob Sawyer, with the assistance of the boy, forcibly worked him- self into the rough coat, which was a few sizes too small for him, and then advancing to the coach window, thrust in his head, and laughed boisterously.
- ' What a start it is — isn't it ? " said Bob, wiping the tears out of his
eyes, with one of the cuffs of the rough coat.
" My dear Sir," said Mr. Pickwick, with some embarrassment, ^' I had no idea of your accompanying us."
- ' No, that's just the very thing," replied Bob, seizing Mr. Pickwick
by the lappel oF his coat. " That's the joke."
" Oh, that's the joke, is it }" said Mr. Pickwick.
- ' Of course," replied Bob. " It's the whole point of the thing, you
p p
