Alfred; or, The Adventures of a French Gentleman — page 122: what you’re looking at

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

OF A FRENCH GENTLEMAN. 101 his right of entrance into the sorry abode, he was about to betake him- self to a bundle of hay which was spread in the midst of ‘he stable, when he recollected that De Rosann might also stand in need of sleep. He accordingly sallied forth, and made known his discovery to our hero, who was far from displeased at the prospect of enjoying an hour’s re- pose, not having closed his eyes the whole night. They entered the stable, and carefully shut the door to expel the advances of the morning air, which imparted a shivering to their frames, and penetrated to the very marrow of their bones. Having taken this precaution, and wished each other a comfortable slumber, they lay down together upon the in- viting hay ; but their bed apparently possessed a considerable degree of elasticity ; for by a sudden movement, which agitated the bundle from its very foundation, they were both hurled off, and thrown violently one on one side, and one on the other. Belle-Rose stretched out his arm to save himself, and his clenched fist encountered something, neither hard nor soft, that seemed to bear a most remarkable resemblance to the cheek of a human being. A momentary terror seized upon him—he thought he had encountered the touch of a dead body; but a loud cry, which he well knew did not proceed from the lips of De Rosann, reassured him on this head, and he started on his feet to search for the individual who had alarmed him. In an instant the whole bundle of hay flew to the other extremity of the stable, exposing to the view of our hero and his companion the elongated countenance and petrified form of the gastro- nomer, Champignon. The astonishment of Belle-Rose and De Rosann, when the length- ened countenance of Champignon met their eyes, may be well conceived ; nor did the gastronomer, on his part, omit a few ejaculations, expressive of wonder at being thus discovered by his two guondam acquaintances. A more ludicrous scene cannot be easily imagined. They all three stared at eacl: other with their mouths wide open, undecided whether to put an end to the ridicule of the situation in’ which they found them- selyes by a hearty laugh, or by immediate questions and answers of ex- planation. Champignon, particularly, would have excited the risible muscles of the most sedate and saturnine being in the world. His small grey eyes were dilated to an unusual extent, so that his very forehead was contracted into a thousand wrinkles; pieces of straw and hay were mingled with his unkempt hair ; his lips apart ‘‘ grinned horribly a ghastly smile,” like Milton’s Death, displaying two rows of large white teeth, almost reaching from ear to ear. He had raised himself to a sitting posture the moment his tegument of hay was mercilessly kicked off him. His hands were lifted up in mute marvel, and his legs were crouched under his corpulent person. It was impossible to gaze at him without a smile; but Belle-Rose, who was the most unceremonious man in existence, did not content himself with so simple a relaxation of his now serious countenance ; he burst iito a loud laugh, to the additional confusion of the gastronomer ; and as we naturally exhibit more feeling and sincere sympathy in a fellow-creature’s mirth than in his distress, De Rosann soon imitated the facetious Pierre, and regaled himself at the expense of Champignon, in repeated shouts of hilarity, which brought tears to his eyes. ‘“‘ Nothing could have been better!” exclaimed Belle-Rose; “I would not have lost this sight for all the world.” eommicbnoolks.co