Pickwick was so extremely disconcerted, that I was
obliged to step in to his relief.
His meeting with Jack Redburn was quite a treat to see. Mr.
Pickwick smiled, and shook hands, and looked at him through his
spectacles, and under them, and over them, and nodded his head
approvingly, and then nodded to me, as much as to say, 'This is
just the man; you were quite right;' and then turned to Jack and
said a few hearty words, and then did and said everything over
again with unimpaired vivacity. As to Jack himself, he was quite
as much delighted with Mr. Pickwick as Mr. Pickwick could possibly
be with him. Two people never can have met together since the
world began, who exchanged a warmer or more enthusiastic greeting.
It was amusing to observe the difference between this encounter and
that which succeeded, between Mr. Pickwick and Mr. Miles. It was
clear that the latter gentleman viewed our new member as a kind of
rival in the affections of Jack Redburn, and besides this, he had
more than once hinted to me, in secret, that although he had no
doubt Mr. Pickwick was a very worthy man, still he did consider
that some of his exploits were unbecoming a gentleman of his years
and gravity. Over and above these grounds of distrust, it is one
of his fixed opinions, that the law never can by possibility do
anything wrong; he therefore looks upon Mr. Pickwick as one who has
justly suffered in purse and peace for a breach of his plighted
faith to an unprotected female, and holds that he is called upon to
regard him with some suspicion on that account.
Pages:
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129