to celebrate (that is too great a word, but I can think of no better)
the conclusion of my Pickwick labours; and so I intend, before you take
that roll upon the grass you spoke of, to beg your acceptance of one of
the first complete copies of the work. I shall be much delighted if you
will join us."

[illustration: The Prince of Wales Hotel, where the Pickwick
dinner was held. Drawn by Arch. Webb]

We have seen a similarly worded letter written to Samuel Lover, and no
doubt each guest received such an invitation from the novelist.

The only real account of the function is contained in a letter from
Ainsworth to his friend, James Crossley, which is as follows:

"On Saturday last we celebrated the completion of The Pickwick
Papers. We had a capital dinner, with capital wine and capital
speeches. Dickens, of course, was in the chair. Talfourd was the
Vice, and an excellent Vice he made. . . . Just before he was about
to propose THE toast of the evening the headwaiter--for it was at a
tavern that the carouse took place--entered, and placed a glittering
temple of confectionery on the table, beneath the canopy of which
stood a little figure of the illustrious Mr. Pickwick. This was the
work of the landlord. As you may suppose, it was received with great
applause. Dickens made a feeling speech in reply to the Serjeant's
eulogy. . . . Just before dinner Dickens received a cheque for L750
from his publishers."

Although this hotel cannot rightly be termed a Pickwick inn in the
same sense that the others in this book can, it certainly has a claim