FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   >>  
vowels, and it is of that the poor bacillus suffers, and dies. As the poet GROSSMITH sings of the German Rhine,-- "_That_ of the Fatherland, The happy Fatherland, Gives the greatest pain inside." However, the Bacillus is an enemy, and if he can be got rid of by _grape-shot_, pour it in and spare not. * * * * * NEW PUBLICATION.--"_The Dumb D._" Musical Novel. Companion to _The Silent Sea_, by Mrs. MACLEOD. * * * * * INNS AND OUTS. NO. IV.--THE WINDOW-SHUTTERS. "And efery time _he_ gif a shoomp, _he_ make de winders sound." I do not allude to the white wooden Venetian work that shades the Grand Hotel windows. It is of the clique who insist on shutting the windows that I write. Briefly speaking, the inmates of the Grand Hotel may be divided into two classes--the window-openers and the window-shutters. The former are all British. The same Britons who at the Club scowl at a suspicion of draught, and luxuriate in an asphyxiating atmosphere, band against "the foreigners" in this respect. We have a national reputation to keep up. We are the nation of soap, of fresh air, of condescending discontent; and when we are on the Continent every one else, including the native, is "a foreigner;" we carry our nationality about with us like a camp-stool; we squat on it; we are jealous of it; it is a case of "_Regardez, mais ne touchez pas!_" [Illustration: COMMERCIAL INSTINCT. _Original Genius_ (_soliloquising_). "Lor, it 'id bin a crool Shame to miss an Opportunity like this 'ere. The gov'nor oughter lemme 'ave Ten Bob on that job!"] This patriotic obtrusiveness culminates in the Battle of the Windows. It is an oppressive evening. The _Table d'Hote_-room is seething like a caldron; a few chosen conspirators and myself open the campaign early; we "tip" ADOLF "the wink." That diplomatist orders the great window to be half-opened. If things go smoothly, he will gradually open out other sources of ventilation. The Noah's Ark procession files in--all shapes and all languages, like the repast itself; DONNERWITZ, TARTARIN, SHIRTSOFF, SCAMPELINI; there is nothing in common between them--save the paper collar; they would hail international declarations of war to-morrow; but the sight of us, and that speck of air leagues them. "_Mein Gott, Die Englaender!_" coughs DONNERWITZ; "_Ce sont de fanatiques enrhumes!_" hisses TARTARIN; SHIRTSOFF sneeze
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   >>  



Top keywords:

window

 

windows

 

DONNERWITZ

 

TARTARIN

 
SHIRTSOFF
 

Fatherland

 

evening

 

Windows

 

patriotic

 

obtrusiveness


culminates

 

seething

 

Battle

 
oppressive
 
diplomatist
 
campaign
 

chosen

 

conspirators

 

caldron

 

INSTINCT


COMMERCIAL

 

Original

 

Genius

 
soliloquising
 

Illustration

 

Regardez

 
touchez
 
oughter
 

Opportunity

 
orders

international
 

declarations

 
morrow
 

vowels

 
collar
 

fanatiques

 

enrhumes

 
hisses
 

sneeze

 

coughs


leagues

 
Englaender
 

common

 

gradually

 
sources
 

ventilation

 

smoothly

 

opened

 
jealous
 

things