Alfred de Rosann — page 65: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

56 ALFRED DE ROSANN. ran his fingers through the bunches of hair that stuck out beneath the brims, threw an extraordinary swag- ger into his gait, and turned into Birch’s on Cornhill to take a bason of turtle soup, with a look of defiance at the industrious citizens whom he encountered in the shop. He seated himself at a table opposite to a stout, demure-looking personage, whose blue coat and brass buttons, buff waistcoat, and drab small-clothes, be- trayed the substantial tradesman at the first glance. Belle-Rose could not avoid a smile when his eye wandered over the staid tranquil being that was dis- cussing some ox-tail with a certain relish, and was qualifying it through the medium of a glass of iced punch, while all his motions appeared. rather the mechanically-forced efforts of an automaton, than the spontaneous activity of a living thing. ‘ Your soup, sir !’”’ said a waiter to Belle-Rose : and although the self-dubbed count did not exactly com- prehend the words of the domestic, a certain savory mess, now standing before him, recalled his attention from the singular. figure opposite. But, no sooner had he apphed the first spoonful to his lips, than the scalding heat of the turtle made him drop the spoon, expectorate the few drops he had taken, strike the table with his hand: in a paroxysm of mingled agony and rage, and stamp his foot violently on that which he thought was the floor : it however fell with all its weight on the corns of the gentleman on the other side of the table, and caused that hitherto silent per- sonage to give vent to so terrible a cry, that the waiters ran towards him with open mouths and star- ing eyes to ascertain the origin of his agony. Belle- Rose, whose pain was instantly forgotten when he heard the dismal yell, burst into a fit of laughter at the comical face of his neighbour. This only increased the wrath of him whose toes were so peculiarly sen- sitive ; and at length, unable to contain his indigna- tion, he, in the veritable spirit of a true Englishman, raised a fist that might have floored an ox, and levelled WOOKS.GOm (€©) = a