burlesques-第75章
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Protestant onceLord Brougham by name。 I have sent to him to
legislate for us: he is wise in the law; and astrology; and all
sciences; he shall aid my Ministers in their councils。 I have
written to him by the post。 There shall be no more infamous mad…
houses in France; where poor souls shiver in strait…waistcoats。
〃'I recognized Louis Philippe; my good cousin。 He was in his
counting…house; counting out his money; as the old prophecy warned
me。 He gave me up the keys of his gold; I shall know well how to
use it。 Taught by adversity; I am not a spendthrift; neither am I
a miser。 I will endow the land with noble institutions instead of
diabolical forts。 I will have no more cannon founded。 They are a
curse and shall be meltedthe iron ones into railroads; the bronze
ones into statues of beautiful saints; angels; and wise men; the
copper ones into money; to be distributed among my poor。 I was
poor once; and I love them。
〃'There shall be no more poverty; no more wars; no more avarice; no
more passports; no more custom…houses; no more lying: no more
physic。
〃'My Chambers will put the seal to these reforms。 I will it。 I am
the king。
(Signed) 'Louis。'〃
〃Some alarm was created yesterday by the arrival of a body of the
English Foot…Guard under the Duke of Jenkins; they were at first
about to sack the city; but on hearing that the banner of the
lilies was once more raised in France; the Duke hastened to the
Tuileries; and offered his allegiance to his Majesty。 It was
accepted: and the Plush Guard has been established in place of the
Swiss; who waited on former sovereigns。〃
〃The Irish Brigade quartered in the Tuileries are to enter our
service。 Their commander states that they took every one of the
forts round Paris; and having blown them up; were proceeding to
release Louis XVII。; when they found that august monarch; happily;
free。 News of their glorious victory has been conveyed to Dublin;
to his Majesty the King of the Irish。 It will be a new laurel to
add to his green crown!〃
And thus have we brought to a conclusion our history of the great
French Revolution of 1884。 It records the actions of great and
various characters; the deeds of various valor; it narrates
wonderful reverses of fortune; it affords the moralist scope for
his philosophy; perhaps it gives amusement to the merely idle
reader。 Nor must the latter imagine; because there is not a
precise moral affixed to the story; that its tendency is otherwise
than good。 He is a poor reader; for whom his author is obliged to
supply a moral application。 It is well in spelling…books and for
children; it is needless for the reflecting spirit。 The drama of
Punch himself is not moral: but that drama has had audiences all
over the world。 Happy he; who in our dark times can cause a smile!
Let us laugh then; and gladden in the sunshine; though it be but as
the ray upon the pool; that flickers only over the cold black
depths below!
COX'S DIARY。
THE ANNOUNCEMENT。
On the 1st of January; 1838; I was the master of a lovely shop in
the neighborhood of Oxford Market; of a wife; Mrs。 Cox; of a
business; both in the shaving and cutting line; established three…
and…thirty years; of a girl and boy respectively of the ages of
eighteen and thirteen; of a three…windowed front; both to my first
and second pair; of a young foreman; my present partner; Mr。
Orlando Crump; and of that celebrated mixture for the human hair;
invented by my late uncle; and called Cox's Bohemian Balsam of
Tokay; sold in pots at two…and…three and three…and…nine。 The
balsam; the lodgings; and the old…established cutting and shaving
business brought me in a pretty genteel income。 I had my girl;
Jemimarann; at Hackney; to school; my dear boy; Tuggeridge; plaited
her hair beautifully; my wife at the counter (behind the tray of
patent soaps; &c。) cut as handsome a figure as possible; and it was
my hope that Orlando and my girl; who were mighty soft upon one
another; would one day be joined together in Hyming; and;
conjointly with my son Tug; carry on the business of hairdressers
when their father was either dead or a gentleman: for a gentleman
me and Mrs。 C。 determined I should be。
Jemima was; you see; a lady herself; and of very high connections:
though her own family had met with crosses; and was rather low。
Mr。 Tuggeridge; her father; kept the famous tripe…shop near the
〃Pigtail and Sparrow;〃 in the Whitechapel Road; from which place I
married her; being myself very fond of the article; and especially
when she served it to methe dear thing!
Jemima's father was not successful in business: and I married her;
I am proud to confess it; without a shilling。 I had my hands; my
house; and my Bohemian balsam to support her!and we had hopes
from her uncle; a mighty rich East India merchant; who; having left
this country sixty years ago as a cabin…boy; had arrived to be the
head of a great house in India; and was worth millions; we were
told。
Three years after Jemimarann's birth (and two after the death of my
lamented father…in…law); Tuggeridge (head of the great house of
Budgurow and Co。) retired from the management of it; handed over
his shares to his son; Mr。 John Tuggeridge; and came to live in
England; at Portland Place; and Tuggeridgeville; Surrey; and enjoy
himself。 Soon after; my wife took her daughter in her hand and
went; as in duty bound; to visit her uncle: but whether it was that
he was proud and surly; or she somewhat sharp in her way; (the dear
girl fears nobody; let me have you to know;) a desperate quarrel
took place between them; and from that day to the day of his death;
he never set eyes on her。 All that he would condescend to do; was
to take a few dozen of lavender…water from us in the course of the
year; and to send his servants to be cut and shaved by us。 All the
neighbors laughed at this poor ending of our expectations; for
Jemmy had bragged not a little; however; we did not care; for the
connection was always a good one; and we served Mr。 Hock; the
valet; Mr。 Bar; the coachman; and Mrs。 Breadbasket; the housekeeper;
willingly enough。 I used to powder the footman; too; on great days;
but never in my life saw old Tuggeridge; except once: when he said
〃Oh; the barber!〃 tossed up his nose; and passed on。
One dayone famous day last Januaryall our Market was thrown
into a high state of excitement by the appearance of no less than
three vehicles at our establishment。 As me; Jemmy; my daughter;
Tug; and Orlando; were sitting in the back…parlor over our dinner
(it being Christmas…time; Mr。 Crump had treated the ladies to a
bottle of port; and was longing that there should be a mistletoe…
bough: at which proposal my little Jemimarann looked as red as a
glass of negus):we had just; I say; finished the port; when; all
of a sudden; Tug bellows out; 〃La; Pa; here's uncle Tuggeridge's
housekeeper in a cab!〃
And Mrs。 Breadbasket it was; sure enoughMrs。 Breadbasket in deep
mourning; who made her way; bowing and looking very sad; into the
back shop。 My wife; who respected Mrs。 B。 more than anything else
in the world; set her a chair; offered her a glass of wine; and
vowed it was very kind of her to come。 〃La; mem;〃 says Mrs。 B。;
〃I'm sure I'd do anything to serve your family; for the sake of
that poor dear Tuck…Tuck…tug…guggeridge; that's gone。〃
〃That's what?〃 cries my wife。
〃What; gone?〃 cried Jemimarann; bursting out crying (as little
girls will about anything or nothing); and Orlando looking very
rueful; and ready to cry too。
〃Yes; gaw〃 Just as she was at this very 〃gaw〃 Tug roars out;
〃La; Pa! here's Mr。 Bar; uncle Tug's coachman!〃
It was Mr。 Bar。 When she saw him; Mrs。 Breadbasket stepped
suddenly back into the parlor with my ladies。 〃What is it; Mr。
Bar?〃 says I; and as quick as thought; I had the towel under his
chin; Mr。 Bar in the chair; and the whole of his face in a
beautiful foam of lather。 Mr。 Bar made some resistance。〃Don't
think of it; Mr。 Cox;〃 says he; 〃don't trouble yourself; sir。〃 But
I lathered away and never minded。 〃And what's this melancholy
event; sir;〃 says I; 〃that has spread desolation in your family's
bosoms? I can feel for your loss; sirI can feel for your loss。〃
I said so out of politeness; because I served the family; not
because Tuggeridge was my uncleno; as such I disown him。
Mr。 Bar was just about to speak。 〃Yes; sir;〃 says he; 〃my master's
gaw〃 when at the 〃gaw〃 in walks Mr。 Hock; the own man!the
finest gentleman I ever saw。
〃What; YOU here; Mr。 Bar!〃 says he。
〃Yes; I am; sir; and haven't I a right; sir?〃
〃A mighty wet day; sir;〃 says I to Mr。 Hockstepping up and making
my bow。 〃A sad circumstance too; sir! And is it a turn of the
tongs that you want to…day; sir? Ho; there; Mr。 Crump!〃
〃Turn; Mr。 Crump; if you please; sir;〃 said Mr。 Hock; making a bow:
〃but from you; sir; neverno; never; split me!and I wonder how
some fellows can have the INSOLENCE to allow their MASTERS to shave
them!〃 With this; Mr。 Hock flung himself down to be curled: Mr。
Bar suddenly opened his mouth in order to reply; but seeing there
was a tiff between the gentlemen; and wanting to prevent a quarrel;
I rammed the Advertiser into Mr。 Hock's hands; and just popped my
shaving…brush into Mr。 Bar's moutha capital way to stop angry
answers。
Mr。 Bar had hardly been in the chair one second; when whir comes a
hackney…coach to the door; from which springs a gentleman in a
black coat with a bag。
〃What; you here!〃 says the gentleman。 I could not help smiling;
for it seemed that everybody was to begin by saying; 〃What; YOU
here!〃 〃Your name is Cox; sir?〃 says he; smiling too; as the very
pattern of mine。 〃My name; sir; is Sharpus;Blunt; Hone and
Sharpus; Middle Temple Lane;and I am proud to salute you; sir;
happy;that is to say; sorry to say that Mr。 Tuggeridge; of
Portland Place; is dead; and your lady is heiress; in consequence;
to one of the handsomest properties in the kingdom。〃
At this I started; and might have sunk to the ground; but for my
hold of Mr。 Bar's nose; Orlando seemed putrified to stone; with his
irons fixed to Mr。 Hock's head; our respective patients gave a
wince out:Mrs。 C。; Jemimarann; and Tug; rushed from the back
shop; and we formed a splendid tableau such as the great Cruikshank
might have depicted。
〃And Mr。 John Tuggeridge; sir?〃 says I。
〃Whyhee; hee; hee!〃 says Mr。 Sharpus。 〃Surely you know that he
was only thehee; hee; hee!the natural son!〃
You now can understand why the servants from Portland Place had
been so eager to come to us。 One of the house…maids heard Mr。
Sharpus say there was no will; and that my wife was heir to the
property; and not Mr。 John Tuggeridge: this she told in the
housekeeper's room; and off;