mr. pickwick's experiences in the debtors'

prison, where he finds an old enemy

and heaps coals of fire on the

head of mrs. bardell

mr. pickwick had not been long in london when his lawyer's warning proved too true. one morning a bailiff forced his way to his bedroom and, since he had not paid the damages to mrs. bardell, arrested him in bed, waited till he was dressed and carried him off to the debtors' prison.

the prison was called the fleet. it was a gloomy building with a heavy gate, guarded by a turnkey, holding all classes, from laboring men to broken-down spendthrifts. its filthy galleries, and low coffee-room reeked with tobacco smoke[pg 249] and its open court was noisy with the oaths of card-players. in some of the rooms lived men with their wives and whole families of children, and mr. pickwick found he would have to pay extra even to have a room to himself.

caged with this coarse, vulgar crowd, mr. pickwick suffered greatly, but no idea of paying the unjust damages entered his mind. instead, he busied himself with wandering about the prison and learning all he could of its customs and inmates. those who, like himself, had money were well-treated. those who had none lived in starvation and wretchedness. in one wall was a kind of iron cage, within which was posted a lean and hungry prisoner who rattled a money-box and called out: "remember the poor debtors!" the money he collected from passers-by in the street was divided and bought food for the poorest.

as mr. pickwick entered the room given over to the latter class, he started. in one of its occupants, clad in tattered garments and yellow shirt, pinched with starvation and pale with illness, he saw alfred jingle; and near him, faithful still in rags and dirt, was job trotter.

jingle was no longer jaunty and impudent. he had pawned all his belongings; had lived, in fact, for the last week on a silk umbrella with an ivory handle. his smile now was a mere twitch of the face as he said: "nothing soon—starve—die—workhouse funeral—serve him right—all over—drop[pg 250] the curtain!" unable, however, to keep up this make-believe recklessness, jingle sat down at length and sobbed like a child.

mr. pickwick was greatly moved at the sight, and gave job some money for his master as he turned away.

sam weller had come with mr. pickwick to the prison. the latter, however, told his servant he must now leave him, though his wages would go on as usual. sam pretended to agree, but lost no time in going to his father with a plan by which he, too, should be sent to the fleet prison for debt, so as to be near his master. he borrowed some money from the old stage-driver, and then when he refused to pay it, his father had him arrested and sent to the prison as he wished. old tony weller and all his friends went with him, and gave him three tremendous cheers at the door. when mr. pickwick saw sam return and learned what he had done, he was much affected at the devotion of this faithful servant and felt himself more fond of him than ever.

it was a long time before winkle, tupman and snodgrass learned of their leader's imprisonment and came to see him. sam also had visitors in the person of his mother-in-law (who, of course, did not know he had brought about his own arrest) and the hypocritical, red-nosed preacher who came with her to lecture him on his evil ways.

old tony weller came, too, with a plan that[pg 251] he had thought of for mr. pickwick's escape in a piano.

"it'll hold him easy," he whispered, "with his hat and shoes on, and breathe through the legs, vich is holler. have a passage ready taken for 'mericker. the 'merikin gov'ment will never give him up when they finds as he's got money to spend, sammy. let him stop there till mrs. bardell's dead, then let him come back and write a book about the 'merikins as'll pay all his expenses and more if he blows 'em up enough."

but mr. pickwick did not avail himself of this plan to escape to america. day by day he wandered about the prison, learning its tales of misery and hopelessness, till his head and his heart ached and he could bear no more. for three months he remained there, shut up all day, stealing from his room only at night, and no entreaties would induce him to pay the money which was keeping him a prisoner.

mrs. bardell's lawyers meanwhile grew impatient. they had not been paid even the costs of the trial, and these mrs. bardell had agreed to pay if they won the suit. as mr. pickwick had not paid the damages, however, she had no money, and so the lawyers at last had her arrested, and she, too, was sent to the fleet prison. after a few hours there, mrs. bardell was willing to do anything to escape, and she agreed if mr. pickwick paid the costs, to release him from the damages.[pg 252]

mr. pickwick was still so indignant that he would possibly not have consented, but at this juncture winkle entered, leading by the hand the beautiful girl who had been arabella allen, but whom he introduced now as mrs. winkle. he had run away with her from the old aunt's house, with the help of mary, the pretty housemaid, and they had been married without the knowledge of winkle's father. they had come to mr. pickwick to beg him to go and plead with old mr. winkle for forgiveness.

arabella's tears and winkle's plight proved too much for mr. pickwick's resolution. he paid mrs. bardell's costs and left fleet prison that very day, with sam weller, whose father, of course, immediately released him also.