Page 20 - PBCOctober2019

Pickwick Bicycle Club Magazine Volume 16 No.2 October 2019 !20

The Front Cover -Ch XXIV - Sam lends a Hand….

Mr Grummer and the sedan passed, and the bodyguard passed, in front of the enthusiastic
cheers of the mob, when suddenly Sam was stopped by the unexpected appearance of Mr
Winkle & Mr Snodgrass. “What’s the row, gen’l’m’n?” cried Sam “Who have they got in this
here watch-box in mournin’ ?”

Both gentlemen replied together but their words were lost in the tumult. “Who?” cried Sam
again. Once more, a joint reply returned: and though inaudible, Sam saw by the motion of the
two pairs of lips that they uttered the magic word “Pickwick.” This was enough. In another
minute Mr Weller had made his way through the crowd, stopped the chairmen and confronted
the portly Grummer. “Hallo, old gen’l’m’n!” said Sam. “Who have you got in this here
conwayance?” “Stand back,” said Mr Grummer, whose dignity of a great many other men, had
been wondrously augmented by a little popularity.

“Knock him down, if he don’t,” said Mr Dubbley.

“I’m wery much obliged to you, old gen’l’m’n,” replied Sam, for consulting my conwenience, and
I’m still more obliged to the other gen’l’m’n, who looks as if he’d just escaped from a giant’s
carrywan, for his his wery ‘ansome suggestion; but I should prefer your givin’ me a answer to
my question, if it’s all the same to you – How are you, sir?” This last observation was
addressed with a patronising air to Mr Pickwick, who was peeping through the front window.

Mr Grummer, perfectly speechless with indignation, dragged the truncheon with the brass
crown from its particular pocket, and flourished it before Sam’s eyes. “Ah, “ said Sam, “ it’s
wery pretty, ‘specially the crown, which is uncommon like the real one.”

“Stand back!” said the outraged Mr Grummer. By way of adding force to the command, he
thrust the brass emblem of royalty into Sam’s neckcloth with one hand, and seized Sam’s
collar with the other: a compliment which Mr Weller returned by knocking him down out of
hand: having previously with the utmost consideration knocked down a chairman for him to lie
upon.

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Charity Support -

Via Joseph Smiggers, we received a request to support the Winstons Wish UK bereavement
charity, from Co- ordinator Nick Cross. If anybody wishes to know more about this charity or
support it, please go their website - www.winstonswish.org