FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   198   199  
200   201   202   203   204   205   206   207   208   209   210   211   212   213   214   215   216   217   218   219   220   221   222   223   224   >>   >|  
his own exclusive account;) and had brought with him, for the edification of Titmouse, a copy of that day's _Sunday Flash_, which contained a long account of a bloody fight between Birmingham Bigbones and London Littlego, for L500 a-side, (sixty rounds had been fought, both men killed, and their seconds had bolted to Boulogne.) Poor Snap, however, though he had come with the best intentions, and the most anxious wish to evince profound respect for the future master of ten thousand a-year, was quite taken by storm by the very first glimpse he got of Titmouse, and could not for a long while recover himself. He had come to ask Titmouse to dine with him at a tavern in the Strand, where there was to be capital singing in the evening; and also to accompany him, on the ensuing morning, to the Old Bailey, to hear "a most interesting trial" for bigamy, in which Snap was concerned for the prisoner--a miscreant, who had been married to five living women!! Snap conceived (and very justly) that it would give Titmouse a striking idea of his (Snap's) importance, to see him so much, and apparently so familiarly concerned with well-known counsel. In his own terse and quaint way, he was explaining to Titmouse the various remedies he had against the Bond Street impostor, both by indictment and action on the case, nay, (getting a little, however, beyond his depth,) he assured the eager Titmouse, that a bill of discovery would lie in equity, to ascertain what the Tetaragmenon Abracadabra was composed of, with a view to his preferring an indictment against its owner, when his learned display was interrupted by a double knock, and--oh, mercy on us!--enter Mr. Gammon. Whether he or Snap felt more disconcerted, I cannot say; but Snap _looked_ the most confused and sneaking. Each told the other a lie, in as easy, good-natured a way as he could assume, concerning the object of his visit to Titmouse. Thus they were going on, when--another knock--and, "Is this Mr. Titmouse's?" inquired a voice, which brought a little color into the face of both Gammon and Snap; for it was absolutely old Quirk, who bustled breathless into the room, on his first visit, and seemed completely confounded by the sight of both his partners. What with this, and the amazing appearance presented by Titmouse, Mr. Quirk was so overwhelmed that he scarce spoke a syllable. Each of the three partners felt (in his own way) exquisite embarrassment. Huckaback, some time afterwards, ma
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   198   199  
200   201   202   203   204   205   206   207   208   209   210   211   212   213   214   215   216   217   218   219   220   221   222   223   224   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Titmouse

 

Gammon

 

concerned

 
indictment
 
partners
 

brought

 

account

 
action
 

disconcerted

 

Whether


Tetaragmenon

 

Abracadabra

 

composed

 
preferring
 

ascertain

 

discovery

 

double

 
interrupted
 

learned

 
equity

display

 
assured
 

object

 

amazing

 
appearance
 

presented

 

confounded

 

completely

 

bustled

 

breathless


overwhelmed

 

scarce

 

Huckaback

 

embarrassment

 
syllable
 

exquisite

 
absolutely
 
natured
 
sneaking
 

looked


confused

 

assume

 

inquired

 
profound
 

evince

 

respect

 

future

 
master
 

anxious

 
intentions