The Adventures of Peregrine PickleSmollett, T. (Tobias)
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The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle
Smollett, T. (Tobias)
Adventure stories; Fiction; Picaresque literature
The painter, who was not such a flaming enthusiast in the cause of
liberty, could not brook the doctor's reflections, which he thought
savoured a little too much of indifference and deficiency in point of
private friendship; and therefore seized the present opportunity of
mortifying his pride, by observing, that the image was, without all
doubt, very grand and magnificent; but that he had been obliged for the
idea to Mr. Bayes in “The Rehearsal,” who values himself upon the same
figure, conveyed in these words, “But all these clouds, when by the eye
of reason grasp'd, etc.” Upon any other occasion, the painter would
have triumphed greatly upon this detection; but such was the flutter and
confusion of his spirits, under the apprehension of being retaken, that,
without further communication, he retreated to his own room, in order to
resume his own dress, which he hoped would alter his appearance in such
a manner as to baffle all search and examination; while the physician
remained ashamed and abashed, to find himself convinced of bombast by
a person of such contemptible talents. He was offended at this proof
of his memory, and so much enraged at his presumption in exhibiting
it, that he could never forgive his want of reverence, and took every
opportunity of exposing his ignorance and folly in the sequel. Indeed,
the ties of private affection were too weak to engage the heart of this
republican, whose zeal for the community had entirely swallowed up
his concern for individuals. He looked upon particular friendship as a
passion unworthy of his ample soul, and was a professed admirer of L.
Manlius, Junius Brutus, and those later patriots of the same name,
who shut their ears against the cries of nature, and resisted all the
dictates of gratitude and humanity.
CHAPTER XLVIII.
Pallet conceives a hearty Contempt for his Fellow-traveller, and
attaches himself to Pickle, who, nevertheless, persecutes him with his
mischievous Talent upon the Road to Flanders.
In the mean time, his companion, having employed divers pailfuls of
water in cleansing himself from the squalor of jail, submitted his face
to the barber, tinged his eye-brows with a sable hue, and, being dressed
in his own clothes, ventured to visit Peregrine, who was still under the
hands of his valet-de-chambre, and who gave him to understand that his
escape had been connived at, and that the condition of their deliverance
was their departure from Paris in three days.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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