Mr. Pickwick Faces a New Scene

Chapter-10

His inner state being in turmoil on account of Mr. Dowler’s threat of physical violence, Mr. Winkle, who had arrived in Bristol and who had found lodgings at The Bush, sought counsel from a Bristol establishment which announced itself as a medical establishment. Initially, there’s no one at the counter, but by and by a studious-looking young man in green spectacles emerged from the back parlor. The young man recognized Mr. Winkle, but Mr. Winkle couldn’t fathom who the young man was, when the young man identified himself as Bob Sawyer.
Presently, Bob Sawyer led Mr. Winkle to the back parlour where there was someone else with whom Mr. Winkle was on friendly terms: Ben Allen. Thus, Mr. Winkle renewed his acquaintance with the medical students when a boy, Bob’s shop assistant, entered the shop. By and by, Mr. Winkle learnt that Bob Sawyer’s business was barely floating financially, but that with the boy’s help he was in the process of advertising his name to the folks of Bristol by an ingenious scheme. The boy delivered the packets of random medicine, which were clearly labeled with Bob Sawyer’s name and establishment, to randomly chosen clients only to made the medicines reclaimed the next day, citing clerical error.
When Bob Sawyer attended to a customer at the counter, Ben Allen confided in Mr. Winkle. Ben Allen was in wretched state on account of his sister Arabella who had resolved to oppose her brother’s plan to allow her to make a match with Bob Sawyer. According to Ben Allen, his sister’s decision had been actuated by her affection for another gentleman though who that gentleman was Ben Allen didn’t know. Ben Allen also told Mr. Winkle that Arabella was currently staying with an aunt, but before Mr. Winkle could found out just exactly where the aunt’s location is, Bob Sawyer’s return compelled the two to remain silent on the topic heretofore.
Consequently, upon parting from his friends, Mr. Winkle went to the coffee-room of The Bush, as he was not as intoxicated and as happy as he would be were Arabella not uppermost in his mind. Alas, at the coffee-room, Mr. Winkle ran into, of all people, Mr. Dowler. Mr. Winkle’s first reaction was to call for help, but as Mr. Dowler explained his presence there, it dawned on Mr. Winkle that Mr. Dowler, despite his gruff and harsh exterior, was at heart a coward. Upon being told the truth of the situation by Mrs. Dowler (there was nothing going on between her and Mr. Winkle), Mr. Dowler had fled the Royal Crescent to avoid Mr. Winkle. Mr. Dowler believed that Mr. Winkle had followed him to Bristol to insist on engaging Mr. Dowler in a duel of honor. Thus, Mr. Dowler begged Mr. Winkle for forgiveness. Mr. Winkle granted Mr. Dowler his forgiveness, and the two were reconciled.
Mr. Winkle was about to go to sleep when there’s a heavy and a persistent knocking at his door. It was Sam Welller. Mr. Winkle admitted Sam, but when Sam locked the door behind him and let Mr. Winkle know that Sam would not let Mr. Winkle out of his sight until Mr. Winkle had safely rejoined the Pickwickians, Mr. Winkle demanded that Sam unlocked the door and left the room. Eventually, they settled on a compromise. Sam would leave the room for the night, but would it locked from without, assuring Mr. Winkle that he would immediately unlock the door in case of fire. And Mr. Winkle would make no attempt to flee from Sam. As for rejoining the Pickwickians, they would talk about it in the morning.
Not until he had a word with Miss Arabella Allen would Mr. Winkle rejoin the Pickwickians. When apprised of this, Mr. Pickwick, who had personally came to Bristol to settle Mr. Winkle’s situation, decided to help Mr. Winkle in any way he could. Mr. Pickwick commissioned Sam to find out about Miss Allen’s location in the vicinity of the Downs, which was where Mr. Winkle supposed Miss Allen was currently situated, if anywhere. Meanwhile, Messrs. Pickwick and Winkle visited Bob Sawyer to see if they could made the medical student allude to Ben Allen’s sister’s location without raising his suspicion.
Thus, Sam Weller went to the Downs, asking anyone and everyone about Miss Arabella Allen when he noticed a young woman dusting out carpets which were too large for her to handle. Out of gallantry, Sam approached the woman to help only to come face to face with Mary, the pretty household servant who Sam had fallen in love with and who was formerly in the service of the Nupkins in Ipswich but who was now in the service of another employer here in Bristol. As for Sam, compelled by his feelings for Mary, he lied that he had actively sought her out, explaining his presence. Eventually, Sam got around to ask Mary about Arabella Allen and discovered, to his shock, that she was currently lodged in a neighbouring house, the very house Sam had just inquired about vis-à-vis a surly groom, who revealed nothing.
Being told that Miss Allen only came out of the house once a day (during the early evening), Sam helped Mary with the large, heavy blankets, and then, when the evening came, with Mary’s help, Sam situated himself atop a tree from where he managed to engage Miss Allen, telling her in whispers of Mr. Winkle’s desire to have a word with her. Miss Allen confessed that nothing would please her more than to oblige Mr. Winkle, but that her confinement wouldn’t allow it. Sam told her to leave it all to him, that he would facilitate the meeting.
Subsequently, the next day, as evening fell, Mr. Pickwick, Mr. Winkle and Sam retired to the house where Mary was currently employed. Mr. Pickwick had a lantern which he was particularly proud of, but Sam advised Mr. Pickwick to cover the light lest someone should notice it and blow their cover. By and by, Sam and the Messrs. Pickwick and Winkle met Mary who led them to the coping where they might secretly conversed with Miss Allen when she took her usual evening walked.
Before undertaking this operation, Mr. Pickwick had impressed upon Mr. Winkle that he–Mr. Pickwick—would, under no circumstances, allow Mr. Winkle to create a misunderstanding vis-à-vis Miss Allen and thereby compromise their good rapport with the Wardles. Consequently, Mr. Pickwick, who was hoisted on Sam’s shoulders, was the first to speak with Miss Allen over the coping. He assured her that Mr. Winkle’s intentions were honourable and that he—Mr. Pickwick—would vouch for Mr. Winkle. Then Mr. Winkle climbed over the coping to confess his feelings for Miss Allen.
Meanwhile, down the street, a scientific gentleman was at his desk writing when he noticed a flashing of lights outside his window. Unable to determine its nature, he asked Pruffle, his servant, as to what he thought the lights signified. When Pruffle replied that the lights signify thieves, the scientific gentleman dismissed Pruffles as a fool and went out to investigate the lights. Alas, his approach was espied by the Pickwickians, and Sam took care of it by rendering the scientific gentleman unconscious with a light blow to the head.
When their Bath sojourn ended, the Pickwickians returned to London. Three days had passed since their arrival, when Sam noticed a peculiar vehicle roll into the George Yard of the George and Vulture. Realizing what the vehicle is, Sam barred the way so that the vehicle’s principal passenger, who was dressed in a gorgeous manner, might be prevented from entering the George and Vulture. A shoving match ensued, compelling the principal passenger to summon the aid of Smouch. Smouch, the shabbily dressed assistant of the gorgeously dressed principal passenger, managed to push and wrestle with Sam long enough to allow the principal passenger to slip through.
Presently, the principal passenger, who was a sheriff deputy of London named Namby, made his way to Mr. Pickwick’s room, woke Mr. Pickwick, and served him notice of his arrest for failing to pay Mrs. Bardell. Sam, who had followed Namby, took the liberty of knocking Namby’s hat off, which drew Mr. Pickwick’s anger. Nonetheless, Sam refused to obey Mr. Pickwick who ordered Sam to made Namby’s hat politely returned.
By and by, Mr. Pickwick was escorted to Namby’s office at Coleman Street by Smouch. There, Mr. Pickwick, who had commissioned Sam to fetch Mr. Perker, found himself in the company of two unsavory characters who got their kicks from the misfortunes of a fellow inmate. Mr. Pickwick requested to be moved to another room. His request was granted. Presently, Mr. Pickwick was having breakfast when Sam returned with Mr. Perker.
Mr. Perker advised Mr. Pickwick to pay Mrs. Bardell and to have the matter settled there and then, but Mr. Pickwick made it clear that he would do no such thing. Indeed, he asked Mr. Perker to remove him—Mr. Pickwick—to debtor’s prison.
Consequently, accompanied by Mr. Perker, Mr. Pickwick went to court to obtain habeas corpus. At court, Mr. Pickwick was accosted by a lame man whom Mr. Pickwick was aghast to learn that he was a bail bondsman who would free Mr. Pickwick or anyone else destined for prison for a fee. By and by, Mr. Pickwick obtained habeas corpus and then, accompanied by the bailiff, Mr. Pickwick went to the Fleet debtor’s prison.
Before Mr. Pickwick was officially admitted as an inmate of Fleet, he must submit himself to be scrutinized by the various Fleet turnkeys for the purpose of firmly implanting Mr. Pickwick’s image in their minds so as to distinguish him as an inmate and not a guest. Mr. Pickwick suffered himself to be scrutinized. When the unpleasantness ended, he asked to be taken to his room and bed only to be told that it would be a day before accommodations could be made for him. (Mr. Pickwick would have to spend a night without a room or bed.) Fortunately for Mr. Pickwick, one of the turnkeys had a spare bed to let.
When the Fleet Prison turnkey Mr. Tom Roker led Mr. Pickwick through the passageways at the end of which was the room and bed the turnkey would let Mr. Pickwick for the night, Mr. Pickwick was appalled by the living conditions. Sam Weller averred. Indeed, the air was stale and full of tobacco smoke. And the living spaces were chock full of people not unlike a rabbit warren.
Before Sam Weller, who had been instructed to took lodgings at a nearby public house and then to report to Mr. Pickwick in the morning, took his leave of Mr. Pickwick, he related an anecdote about a good-natured debtor prison’s inmate who was on such good terms with the turnkeys that he’s allowed brief moments of liberty outside the prison walls. The anecdote supported Mr. Pickwick’s observation that most inmates of a debtor’s prison faired just as well, if not better, inside the prison walls than from the outside.
Presently, depressed by the sound of a wailing woman, Mr. Pickwick put on his nightcap and fell into a deep slumber only to be awoken a half-hour later by a loud exclamation, laughter, song, and dance. The song and dance were performed by an inmate named Zephyr who ,when told to keep it down on account of Mr. Pickwick’s presence by a man named Smangle, proceeded to remove Mr. Pickwick’s nightcap and to put it on his own head. Subsequently, Mr. Pickwick jumped out of bed, reclaimed his nightcap, and assumed a fighting stance only to be greeted by friendly laughter.
By and by, Mr. Pickwick made the acquaintance of his fellow inmates: the aforementioned clownish Zephyr, a man in stockings named Mivins, and the aforementioned Mr. Smangle who’s tall, had whiskers, and had a boastful, vagabond’s quality to him. When Mr. Pickwick returned to bed, Mr. Smangle proposed that they had a nightcap of sorts. To avoid discord, Mr. Pickwick commissioned Mr. Mivins to fetch a bottle of wine. At Smangle’s behest, another man was sent to make sure that Mr. Mivins would indeed acquire the wine he was sent for.
Sure enough, Mr. Mivins returned with a bottle of sherry. As they drink, Mr. Smangle related various colorful anecdotes one of which involved a through-bred horse and a beautiful Jewess. Mr. Pickwick fell asleep as Mr. Smangle continued to talk.

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