The Adventures of Peregrine PickleSmollett, T. (Tobias)
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The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle
Smollett, T. (Tobias)
Adventure stories; Fiction; Picaresque literature
Instead of using the privilege of a friend, to enter his apartment
without ceremony, he sent in his servant with a message, importing,
that he intended to set out from Paris the next day, in company with
Mr. Pickle; and desiring to know whether or not he was, or would be,
prepared for the journey. The doctor, struck with the manner as well
as the matter of this intimation, went immediately to Pallet's room and
demanded to know the cause of such a sudden determination without his
privity or concurrence; and when he understood the necessity of their
affairs, rather than travel by himself, he ordered his baggage to be
packed up, and signified his readiness to conform to the emergency of
the case; though he was not at all pleased with the cavalier behaviour
of Pallet, to whom he threw out some hints on his own importance, and
the immensity of his condescension in favouring him with such marks of
regard. But by this time these insinuations had lost their effect upon
the painter who told him, with an arch sneer, that he did not at all
question his learning and abilities, and particularly his skill in
cookery, which he should never forget while his palate retained its
function; but nevertheless advised him, for the sake of the degenerate
eaters of these days, to spare a little of his sal ammoniac in the next
sillykicaby he should prepare; and abate somewhat of the devil's dung,
which he had so plentifully crammed into the roasted fowls, unless he
had a mind to convert his guests into patients, with a view of licking
himself whole for the expense of the entertainment.
The physician, nettled at these sarcasms, eyed him with a look of
indignation and disdain; and, being, unwilling to express himself in
English, lest, in the course of the altercation, Pallet should be so
much irritated as to depart without him, he vented his anger in Greek.
The painter, though by the sound he supposed this quotation to be Greek,
complimented his friend upon his knowledge in the Welsh language, and
found means to rally him quite out of temper; so that he retired to
his own chamber in the utmost wrath and mortification, and left his
antagonist exulting over the victory he had won.
While these things passed between these originals, Peregrine waited
upon the ambassador, whom he thanked for his kind interposition,
acknowledging the indiscretion of his own conduct with such appearance
of conviction and promises of reformation, that his excellency freely
forgave him for all the trouble he had been put to on his account,
fortified him with sensible advices and, assuring him of his continual
favour and friendship, gave him at parting, letters of introduction to
several persons of quality belonging to the British court.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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