Page:The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club.djvu/521

433 THE PICKWICK CLUB. 433

The usual forms havings been g-one through, the body'of Samuel Pick- wick was soon afterwards confided to the custody of the tipstaff, to he by him taken to the Warden of the Fleet Prison, and there detained until the amount of the damages and costs in the action of Bardell against Pickwick was fully paid and satisfied.

" And that," said Mr. Pickwick laughing, "will be a very long time. Sam, call another hackney coach. Perker, my dear friend, good bye."

" I shall go with you, and see you safe there," said Perker.

<* Indeed," replied Mr. Pickwick, " I would rather go without any other attendant than Sam- As soon as I get settled, I will write and let you know, and I shall expect you immediately. Until then, good bye."

As Mr. Pickwick said this, he got into the coach which had by this time arrived, followed by the tipstaff. Sam having stationed himself on the box, it rolled away.

" A most extraordinary man that," said Perker, as be stopped to pull on his gloves.

" What a bankrupt he'd make. Sir," observed Mr. Lowten, who was standing near. " How he would bother the commissioners ! He'd set 'em at defiance if they talked of committing him. Sir."

The attorney did not appear very much delighted with his clerk's pro- fessional estimate of Mr. Pickwick's character, for he walked away without deigning any reply.

The hackney coach jolted along Fleet Street, as hackney coaches usually do. The horses "went better," the driver said, when they had got anything before them, (they must have gone at a most extraordinary pace when there was nothing,) and so the vehicle kept behind a cart ; when the cart stopped, it stopped, and when the cart went on again, it did the same. Mr. Pickwick sat opposite the tipstaff, and the tipstaff sat with his hat between his knees, whistling a tune, and looking out of the coach-window.

Time performs wonders, and, by the powerful old gentleman's aid, even a hackney coach gets over half a mile of ground. They stopped at length, and Mr. Pickwick alighted at the gate of the Fleet.

The tipstaff, just looking over his shoulder to see that his charge was following close at his heels, preceded Mr. Pickwick into the prison ; turning to the left, after they had entered, they passed through an open door into a lobby, from which a heavy gate opposite to that by which they had entered, and which was guarded by a stout turnkey with the key in his hand, led at once into the interior of the prison.

Here they stopped, while the tipstaff dehvered his papers ; and here Mr. Pickwick was apprised that he would remain until he had under- gone the ceremony, known to the initiated, as " sitting for your portrait."

"Sitting for my portrait!" said Mr. Pickwick.

" Having your likeness taken. Sir," replied the stout turnkey.

" We're capital hands at likenesses here. Take 'em in no time, and always exact. Walk in, Sir, and make yourself at liome."

Mr. Pickwick complied with the invitation, and sat himself down,