LII explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Deception and Appearance

  Tony Weller discusses the privileged status of coachmen, who can be friendly with women without suspicion of marriage, highlighting societal appearances.

• Charity and Benevolence

  Tony Weller plans to invest money for Sam as per his late wife's request, showing familial care and provision.

Characters to notice

• Sam Weller

  Receives news of his stepmother's death and visits his father.

• Tony Weller

  Grieves his wife's death, fends off widows, and decides to return to coaching.

• Mary

  The pretty housemaid who gives Sam the letter and shares a flirtatious moment with him.

• Mr. Stiggins

  Visits to offer condolences but is thrown out by Tony Weller.

• Samuel Pickwick

  Arranges for Bob Sawyer and Ben Allen to stay elsewhere to spare Arabella's feelings.

Key passages

• “Considering it a matter of delicacy to abstain from introducing either Bob Sawyer or Ben Allen to the young couple, until they were fully prepared to expect them, and wishing to spare Arabella’s feelings as much as possible, Mr. Pickwick proposed that he and Sam should alight in the neighbourhood of the George and Vulture, and that the two young men should for the present take up their quarters elsewhere.”

  Mr. Pickwick, wanting to be tactful and not upset Arabella, suggested that he and Sam get off near the George and Vulture, while Bob Sawyer and Ben Allen stay somewhere else for now.

  Mr. Pickwick's considerate arrangement to avoid awkwardness for Arabella.

• “I am wery sorry to have the pleasure of being a Bear of ill news your Mother in law cort cold consekens of imprudently settin too long on the damp grass in the rain a hearin of a shepherd who warnt able to leave off till late at night owen to his having vound his-self up vith brandy and vater and not being able to stop his-self till he got a little sober which took a many hours to do the doctor says that if she’d svallo’d varm brandy and vater artervards insted of afore she mightn’t have been no vus her veels wos immedetly greased and everythink done to set her agoin as could be inwented your father had hopes as she vould have vorked round as usual but just as she wos a turnen the corner my boy she took the wrong road and vent down hill vith a welocity you never see and notvithstandin that the drag wos put on drectly by the medikel man it wornt of no use at all for she paid the last pike at twenty minutes afore six o’clock yesterday evenin havin done the jouney wery much under the reglar time vich praps was partly owen to her haven taken in wery little luggage by the vay”

  I'm sorry to bring bad news: your stepmother caught a cold from sitting too long on damp grass in the rain listening to a preacher who couldn't stop because he was drunk. The doctor said if she had drunk warm brandy and water after instead of before, she might have been okay. Your father hoped she would recover, but she died yesterday at 5:40 PM, quicker than expected, perhaps because she had little luggage.

  Tony Weller's letter informing Sam of his stepmother's death, written in his characteristic dialect.