Chapter-11
Upon awakening, Mr. Pickwick beheld his servant Sam Weller denying Mr. Smangle who’s eager to render Mr. Pickwick service—laundering Mr. Pickwick’s clothes—for a fee. Annoyed, Mr. Smangle left the scene to breakfast on cigars.
Presently, having had breakfast at a place called the Snuggery, Mr. Pickwick dispatched Sam on some errands and then consulted the turnkey Mr. Roker about his—Mr. Pickwick’s—lodgings. Mr. Roker informed Mr. Pickwick that his room would be the twenty-seven, in the third and that he would be sharing it with a parson, a butcher named Martin, and a union buster named Simpson. By and by, Mr. Pickwick located the twenty-seven, in the third and made the acquaintance of his 3 new roommates when he learnt from them that for a fee Mr. Pickwick might procure a room of his own. A room of his own was exactly what Mr. Pickwick needed as the room he would otherwise be forced to share was untidy, filthy and miasmic.
Subsequently, Mr. Pickwick again consults the turnkey Mr. Roker who’s only too happy to accommodate Mr. Pickwick so long as Mr. Pickwick was willing to pay for the privilege of having his own room, which Mr. Pickwick is. Thus, Mr. Roker introduced Mr. Pickwick to a Chancery prisoner who was willing to let his room for twenty shillings. Mr. Pickwick agreed to the term. With Mr. Roker’s help, Mr. Pickwick had the room furnished. Having been informed by Mr. Roker where and on whom he might found a non-prisoner to run some errands, Mr. Pickwick searched for the non-prisoner only to stumble into a room which was inhabited by old acquaintances: Alfred Jingle and Job Trotter. Alas, they were both in such wretched states—they had lost everything—that Mr. Pickwick couldn’t help but take pity on them. Indeed, as Mr. Jingle sobbed, Mr. Pickwick offered him some kind words. As for Mr. Trotter, he was offered some spare coins.
Later, upon Sam’s return, Mr. Pickwick made a determination. As long as Mr. Pickwick remained in Fleet Prison, Sam was not to attend to Mr. Pickwick. Sam would continue to be paid as he attended to one of the other three Pickwickians. If or when Mr. Pickwick got out, then Sam would be allowed to return and attended to Mr. Pickwick. Sam objected, but to no avail.
Mr. Weller senior had come to the Insolvent Court to console George, a friend and an associate, who would be tried for insolvency. Presently, Mr. Weller senior shared a word and a drank with Mr. Solomon Pell, George’s fat, flabby, and pale attorney, at a nearby public house. Mr. Pell assured Mr. Weller senior that the preparation for the defence was all in good order. As for George himself, to Mr. Weller’s senior’s satisfaction, he was in good spirits.
Mr. Pell was holding forth on the integrity of his office when a boy with a blue bag, the attorney’s assistant, informed Mr. Pell that George’s trial was about to start. Consequently, the defence team and its supporters rushed over to the court, which was practically across the street, only to be caught in a crowd, which was at once trying to gain admittance. In the middle of the throng, Mr. Weller senior got into a minor tussle. By and by, Mr. Weller senior beheld the young man with whom he had got in the tussle. The young man turned out to be his own son Sam.
When Sam explained that he had been looking for his father at the Marquwas of Grinby the previous night, Mr. Weller senior asked about Sam’s stepmother’s well-being. Sam replied that she was out of sorts, and that she was wont to indulge in pine-apple rum. Mr. Weller senior informed Sam that the deputy shepherd, despite having liver problems which was hampering his appetite, was drinking as much as he ever had. Presently, Sam told his father about the purpose of his visit. He would like to help Mr. Pickwick in any way he could. To that end, Sam would like his father to lend him twenty-five pounds. Then asserting that Sam had failed to repay the loan, Sam would like his father to sue Sam and made him incarcerated in Fleet Prison.
At first, Mr. Weller senior was perplexed, but seeing as how it’s for a good cause and seeing as how the scheme was bound to work, Mr. Weller senior was only too happy to oblige Sam. Subsequently, when Mr. Pell was told of the scheme, he too was happy to take parted and lauded Sam’s loyalty to Mr. Pickwick. Thus, as Mr. Pell and Mr. Weller senior saw to the suit, Sam regaled George, who had won his case, and his friends with a song called “Romance”.
By and by, Mr. Pell and Mr. Weller senior arrived on the scene, and Sam was told that his scheme had gone off without a hitch. Consequently, Sam was escorted to Fleet Prison. There Sam found his way to Mr. Pickwick’s room.
Glad to see Sam, Mr. Pickwick was eager to explain his reasoning for having Sam dismissed from his—Mr. Pickwick’s—services, but before he could, Sam apprised Mr. Pickwick of the news of his—Sam’s—incarceration in Fleet Prison. Mr. Pickwick was in shock.
Sam Weller was mum on the point as to who he was in debt, but he did tell Mr. Pickwick about the sum of money for which he had been imprisoned, which wasn’t much. Subsequently, arguing that he would do more good outside the prison gates than inside, Mr. Pickwick urged Sam to have his debt paid off. However, Sam, citing the rascal character of the man to who he was in debt, avowed not to pay, and in defence of his stance told Mr. Pickwick an anecdote about a government clerk who chose to die than compromise on his principles. (Though his doctor had warned him that eating croutons would be death of him, the government clerk quadrupled his crouton intake and died.)
By and by, Sam managed to secure his lodgings. He was to spare a room with a cobbler who was wont to smoke a pipe, in a carefree fashion, before going to sleep. Thus, Sam settled in for the night when the cobbler’s habit of making his bed under a table, not to mention his carefree pipe smoking, piqued Sam’s curiosity. The cobbler replied that as he was used to sleeping in a four-poster bed before being imprisoned, he made his bed under the table to give him the illusion of sleeping in a four-poster bed. Intrigued, Sam asked about the cobbler’s reason for being imprisoned.
As it turned out, the story behind the cobbler’s imprisonment was a complicated one. It involved the cobbler marrying a relation of his wealthy employer, the cobbler inheriting the greater parted of his employers’ wealth, and the employer’s nephews and nieces objecting to their uncle’s last would and testament. Indeed, the cobbler’s story was so complicated and involved that when the story was concluded and the cobbler turned to Sam, and Sam had fallen asleep.
The next morning, Mr. Pickwick was having breakfast when Mr. Smangle interrupted to tell Mr. Pickwick about Mr. Pickwick’s importune visitors who were apparently disturbing all and every inmate as they were endeavouring to find Mr. Pickwick’s room the location of which they were ignorant of. When Mr. Pickwick averred that they were indeed his visitors, Mr. Smangle offered to personally escort them to Mr. Pickwick’s room but not before asking Mr. Pickwick for a loan. Ever the gentleman, Mr. Pickwick, obliged Mr. Smangle.
By and by, Mr. Smangle brought the Pickwickians to Mr. Pickwick’s room. As Mr. Pickwick exchanged hearty greetings with his fellow Pickwickians, Sam entered the room with Mr. Pickwick’s newly polished shoes and newly brushed gaiters. When Mr. Pickwick informed the Pickwickians that Sam had got himself voluntarily imprisoned for the sake of serving Mr. Pickwick, Mr. Winkle exhibited a vehemence of shock that registered a hidden concern. Presently, the hidden concern was somewhat disclosed, as Mr. Winkle explained that he had meant to leave town on private business accompanied by Sam. Though Sam seemed to know what’s what, he kept it confidential between him and Mr. Winkle.
Consequently, ever the gentleman, Mr. Pickwick steered the conversation to other matters. A lavish meal, albeit a meal prepared in the prison kitchen, was shared by the friends.
As the Pickwickians parted, Mr. Winkle behaved oddly. Reminding Mr. Pickwick how much he valued Mr. Pickwick’s friendship, Mr. Winkle was unable to let go of Mr. Pickwick’s hands. They eventually parted with Mr. Pickwick none the wiser with regards Mr. Winkle’s odd behaviour.
Presently, the turnkey Mr. Roker entered with a new pillow for Mr. Pickwick. Grateful, Mr. Pickwick offered Mr. Roker a glass of wine. Mr. Roker accepted. As Mr. Roker drank, he told Mr. Pickwick of some bad news. According to the doctor, the Chancery prisoner, who was letting Mr. Pickwick his room, would soon die. (He had tuberculoswas for some time and his time had come.) Horrified, Mr. Pickwick begged to be taken to the Chancery prisoner who was currently laid up in the prison’s infirmary.
At the infirmary, Mr. Pickwick offered what solace he could to the Chancery prisoner who lamented his lot in life before losing consciousness. He seemed to be asleep, but, alas, he was dead.
A few days had passed since Sam Weller had been incarcerated in Fleet Prison. One morning, he was enjoying a beer and reading the papers in the prison’s open air when he was summoned to the hall by his fellow inmates.
The one summoning was Sam’s father Mr. Weller senior. Exchanging greetings with his son, Mr. Weller informed Sam that he had came with Mrs. Weller and Mr. Stiggins, the deputy shepherd, who were determined to lecture Sam on the error of his ways and to point him to the righteous path. To Sam’s concern, Mr. Weller found Mrs. Weller’s and Mr. Stiggin’s intention so hypocritically funny that he laughed to the point of bursting a blood vessel.
By and by, Sam greeted the altruists and assured his mother-in-law that he was doing well, contrary to her observation. When Mr. Stiggins didn’t respond to his greeting, Sam ordered some wine which acted like an elixir, animating Mr. Stiggins. Presently, to Mr. Weller’s disgust, Mr. Stiggins, who was in a state of near drunken stupor, delivered a lecture on vice, sin and hypocrisy. As for Mrs. Weller, though at first reluctant to drink, like Mr. Stiggins, she quaffed her wine with gusto before complaining about Mr. Weller and his proclivity to make fun of her pious ways. To humour his mother-in-law, Sam castigated his father.
By and by, Sam parted with his visitors at the prison gates. But before they did, Mr. Weller informed Sam of a plot to made Mr. Pickwick removed from prison, and asked his son to relate the plot to Mr. Pickwick for approval. Just as Sam parted with his visitors, he met Mr. Pickwick who told Sam about some mutual friends that they would presently meet. Sam couldn’t imagine who they were be. Indeed, even as Sam beheld Alfred Jingle and Job Trotter, Sam couldn’t believe his eyes. Presently, as Mr. Pickwick had a word with Mr. Jingle, Sam came to his senses when Job Trotter greeted him by name.
Sam was eager to censure Job Trotter as the latter wept on account of his present circumstances. But the latter’s tears were genuine and Sam restrained himself. Indeed, to lift up Mr. Totter’s spirits Sam treated him to some wine. During the course of treating Job to wine, Sam learnt that Mr. Pickwick had been providing food and better lodgings for Alfred Jingle and Job Trotter. When Mr. Trotter affirmed his debt of gratitude to Mr. Pickwick, and avowed that he would serve Mr. Pickwick to his—Job Trotter’s—dying days if Mr. Pickwick would allow it, Sam angrily made it clear that he and only he had the privilege of serving Mr. Pickwick.
Presently, having parted from Alfred Jingle, Mr. Pickwick indulged Job Trotter who led him and Sam to a secret lair where the turnkeys operated an under-the-radar liquor business, before wandering the grounds of the prison yards. The sight was so depressing—everywhere there was “the same squalor, the same turmoil and noise”—that Mr. Pickwick determined to confine himself to his room and only wandered out at nights when the denizens of the prison were absent.
Three months had passed and the influence of the prison had adversely affected Mr. Pickwick’s physical and spiritual health. Still, despite Mr. Perker’s and his friends’ adjurations, Mr. Pickwick was resolved not to give in to Mrs. Bardell and Dodson & Fogg.