[The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens]@TWC D-Link book
The Pickwick Papers

CHAPTER IV
10/17

And how are you, sir (to Mr.Winkle)?
Well, I am glad to hear you say you are well; very glad I am, to be sure.

My daughters, gentlemen--my gals these are; and that's my sister, Miss Rachael Wardle.

She's a Miss, she is; and yet she ain't a Miss--eh, Sir, eh ?' And the stout gentleman playfully inserted his elbow between the ribs of Mr.Pickwick, and laughed very heartily.
'Lor, brother!' said Miss Wardle, with a deprecating smile.
'True, true,' said the stout gentleman; 'no one can deny it.

Gentlemen, I beg your pardon; this is my friend Mr.Trundle.And now you all know each other, let's be comfortable and happy, and see what's going forward; that's what I say.' So the stout gentleman put on his spectacles, and Mr.Pickwick pulled out his glass, and everybody stood up in the carriage, and looked over somebody else's shoulder at the evolutions of the military.
Astounding evolutions they were, one rank firing over the heads of another rank, and then running away; and then the other rank firing over the heads of another rank, and running away in their turn; and then forming squares, with officers in the centre; and then descending the trench on one side with scaling-ladders, and ascending it on the other again by the same means; and knocking down barricades of baskets, and behaving in the most gallant manner possible.

Then there was such a ramming down of the contents of enormous guns on the battery, with instruments like magnified mops; such a preparation before they were let off, and such an awful noise when they did go, that the air resounded with the screams of ladies.


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