The Pic-Nic Papers - 3 Author:Charles Dickens Volume: 3 General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1841 Original Publisher: Ward and Lock Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com wher... more »e you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: Bertha still loved the man who had wooed her, or rather the remembrance of that charming being, all smiles, and frowns, and sighs, and songs, and attitudes, and fanfaronades, and devotion; she could not recognise him in her pettish, insolent husband. Her Isidore could never have sworn so vulgarly at her as that husband did, her bowing, assiduous Isidore could never have turned from her on his heel, snapping his fingers, and uttering a contemptuous " Bah! -- be- tises!" as that husband did, when she once, and only once, remonstrated with him on his neglect. To love that husband was impossible, to forget Isidore equally so, and they became to her distinct personages, the remembrance and the reality. In time the presence of Maitre Pierrot became odious to her, and her softest moments were those spent in his absence, consequently they much preponderated over her bitter ones, as she was seldom disturbed by his intrusion. Days, and then days and nights, he passed away from home ; his house he frequented but when he gave some revellings, such as he delighted in. Then, from her window, Bertha saw the arrival of impudent-looking roues, sniffing the air aathey paced along with conceited strides, drawing in the small of their backs, jerking their heads under their dancing plumes, and nodding familiarly at every pretty face they saw. With them, too, came portly seniors, with ruhicund visages and small eyes reposing in whites turned yellow, and cheeks reflecting their hue to their swollen noses, thick dry lips, and short shuffling steps tottering along under the weigh...« less