The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 329: what you’re looking at

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SARS a iSite A tm ne THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDI’S YOUNG CAPTAIN. 323 eee Hautwig and his friends had transacted all their | secret business without taking the ‘wild Indians” into their confidence. , For it takes but a minute for coiners and utterers to pass a roll of base metal one to the other. Therefore, having transacted what they had to do, they were in a merry mood, and hailed old Jemmy’s arrival with great applause, “Ah! said Jemmy, “thmes ain’t what. they used to be; the ‘ wild’ business is what tells now. Give me half-a-dozen wild Indians,” said Jemmy, “they are better than all your dogs and monkeys.”’ Hautwig smiled, as he said— “Why, I thought you had a long engagement at Cross’s penny gaff, over in the Boro’,” “So I did; but it didn’t pay very well arter I got the job.” L “How was that?” © | “ Well, I'll tell you all about it if you’ll listen,” said old Jemmy, filling a pipe. “You see, when I left you, Hautwig——” “Which you never had any occasion to do if you | hadn’t been so thick-headed,” “Never mind talking about that now,” said Jemmy, “tbat time is past and gone.” “Well, go on now about your engagement with Cross.”’ | | “Well, I-was sitting down arter dinner having a pipe in my lodgings at Lambeth, and was growling a good deal about the hardness of the times, when all at once I hears a rat-tat at the door, and arter.a minute or two in walka Cross of the Royal Penny “ Jist as usual he walks in as if he were always pleyiie the ghost in Hamlet, and I offers him a chair, “He sits down as if he were:.Macbeth, and puts i arms akimbo, and says, in a awful, sepulchra one— ““Jemmy Smith,’ says he, ‘I’ve called about those dorgs o’ yourn.’ “My good sir,’ says I, ‘they is werry wonder- ful creturs, as everybody knows,’ ‘““¢ Yes, I have heard they are clever,’ said Cross, “*Clever?’? says I, ‘you may well say. that. There ain’t two sich animals anywhere’s breathing as my dogs Jupiter and Juno.’ 3 “You have been out of an engagement for a long time, I hear?’ said Cross, artful as ever. “*Out of a engagement, sir?’ says I, ‘ You must be mistaken entirely in the party,’ says I. ‘ My dogs are never out on a engagement |’ “It wouldn't do, you see, to let him know as how I wasn’t performing, or his price wouldn't be so much by half, ‘Arter a moment or two of solemn silence, Cross picks his teeth and, says he, ““¢ What terms would you propose for the use of them at my theatre over in the Borough?’ For how long—a week or a fortnight, or what ?” says I, “for I closes a engagement with a certain party this werry evening, and it’s the last time I plays for him for some time to come. How long for, Mr, Cross ?” says I, “for a fortnight of successive nights?” . ; “ 6 Jest so,’ said Cross, throwing out his legs in such a grand style that you’d a thought ‘his theatre,’ as he called it, was not less, and nothing inferior to her Majesty’s Opera House, at least. «<Por a fortnight of successive nights?’ said I, considering. «Yes, jest so.’ “We had ten bob a night at Sadlers Wells,’ says I, We Ah!’'said the great manager ; ‘but you must remember that while the price of admission to the boxes of Sadler's Wells is half-a-crown, the pit one shilling, and the gallery sixpence, I haye got neither boxes nor pit at my establishment as yet, and the price of admission is—ah ! you know,’ “*T understand yer,’ said I, stopping his stutter- ing, ‘understand yer. _ It's ‘‘ Walk up! walk up! jest about to commence !. The last time to-night | For the sole charge of one penny,” and all that,’ said I, imitating a country fair, ‘* But this I addsin a quiet way, «Why you see, Mr, Cross, I've played at sich first- rate places, that I’m not quite sure it would be quite the correct thing to appear on the boards of such a penny establishment as yourn.’ *‘ There’s nothing like cheek, you know Haut- wig,’ said Jem, again helping himself to the porter. *“< Ahem,’ said Cross, very loudly, and getting rather red, for what I said took all the starch of Hamlet’s ghost out on him, and humbled him a — bit. courage, and says he, “¢ Well, Smith, you astonish me. certainly ; you astonish me really. This is_ the first time I’ve ever heard anything said about the respectability of dogs.’ *** Do you mean to say as how we ain’t respect- — able?’ said I. ‘«* Not at all, Smith: I assure you nothing could — be further from my intentions as far as regards yourself personally ; I only referred to your dogs, | you know.’ ‘“<« My dogs, sir,’ said I, inaloud tragic voice, and looking at Cross full in the face. ‘© < Yes, Smith, only your dogs, you know.’ “* Only my dogs?’ said I, bursting with indigna- tion. ‘I tel! you what it is, Mr. Cross, my dogs are very respectable animals, and I wish that all animals with two legs could always behave them- selves as Jupiter and Juno does,’ “T felt so awfully wild, J felt inclined to kick Cross out of the room, *“ *TDo you mean any reflectiou on me, sir?’ said © the penny-gaff proprietor, rising. ‘Do you mean to insinuate, sir, that your dogs are more respect- able than me ?’ “*T means to say this,’ said J, ‘I shall never stand by and hear my dogs called in question.’ “*¥ou seem to be labouring uuder a misconcep- tion, Smith,’ said Cross, ‘it was never my intention to underrate the capability of your animals.’ «“‘Then, you do admit they are respectable?’ said I. «¢Ves, I have no doubt they are in their way.’ «“¢ Ah) said I, ‘that’s talking likea man. ‘And now, Mr. Cross,’ said I, with the air of a man who has lots of money, ‘now,’ says J, ‘if you wishes to engage us, my terms to you, considering you have only a penny gaff, are eight bob a-night.’ “<Hicht shillings a-night? What! that will come to sixteen shillings for them both.’ “‘You are mistaken,’ says I; ‘that will just make it a guinea.’ “6 A what ?’ *¢ A ouinea,’ “ ‘How do you make that out? You have only two dogs.’ . “Very true,’ said I; ‘but, then, there’s me.’ _ «“‘ Oh, but it’s not necessary to have you, Smith.’ “‘¢ The devil it ain’t,’ said I, getting red. ‘No,’ said he, as cool as ice, ‘no; there isn’t the slightest occasion to have you, for you don’t act, you know.’ “Don’t I, though?’ says I, “But he. presently got red, plucked up his | You do, most © QO MICLOOOLK CO