The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 7 — page 349: what you’re looking at

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

— =e eee eee a ee I TT, DT SCT TEP St cen Re Ee SY —, a Sie Ee. ae ae ae ae cee er eee yee ~~ ee eee eee aes et ee ee eae, Ao ee ei 2 e-em = febae. 9s wee Jo Pee ¢rifle recovered from his amazement, he was moving away. But the stilted mountebauk who was especially charged with the duty of collecting the coin with which the public generosity was wont to recompense the authors of these splendid entertainments, had his eye upon Christian from the very first moment thet he had halted near the group; and the fellow had at once singled him out aa the likeliest spectator to drop a silver coin into the basin. He therefore strode after bim in some such a manner as that which the fairy tale represents the Ps with the seven-league boots as adopting ; stooping down—spparently at the imminent risk of falling head foremost and breaking his neck—the mountebank balanced him- self on one stilt and presented the basin. Chris- tian edropped a shilling into it—whercat the mountebank was seized with such a violent ecstasy of delight that he whirled himself round on the one stilt, the other being stretohed out behind him in a horisontal direction and skimming over the hats, caps, and bonnets of the spectators who happened to come within the range of this peculiar feat. “You are a perfect gentleman, sir,” aald the mountebank, when bis achievement was finished : and he bowed low to Christian as he thas spoke. * If you think so,” said our hero with a smile: * you may perhaps answer me a question or two— and! I will drop another com into your basin.” “ An many answers a& you like, sir,” joyously responded the mountebank, “at that rate :”’—and be bent more forward to hear what Christian had to say~placing his hands upon hia knees, as- suming a sort of squatting position in the air, but dudging the while to and fro or from side to side with little abort steps of his etilte, eo aa to main- tain bie balance: for it requires but a very limited knowledge of the laws of equilibrium and gravita- tion to convince any one of our readers that a gentleman thus perched upon high stilts cannot very conveniently stand perfectly still for three moments at a time. “ Who is that person that plays your dram ?” inguired Christian. © Never mind why I ask— and don’t Jook round at Bim, as I do not wish him to see that I am speaking of him.” _ “Me isa poor German devil that we picked up e few months back,” replied the mounfebank ; “and it so happened that we wanted a person to play the drum and the organ——” “ The organ ?” said Christian, inguiringly. “Yos=-the mouth-or to be surel—and where is there a nobler instrument P” said the mountebank, with a transiont air of indignation : Sut apparently recollecting that another shilling was at stake, he instantaneously recovered his good hamour—and having cas a caper to re- lieve bis fechngs, he again bent down to Ohrietian. “Yes,” he continued, “ we picked up that poor devil some months ago, and as our parduer whieh used ta beat the drum and play the organ, had gone into a little temporary retirement -—only siz wonthe at the mill, for mistaking | another gentleman's pocket for his own during the wittor cald weather of March last, when a man was of course glad to put his hand anywheree to keep it warm——” ‘ “ Well, well,” intorrapted Christian g © you teok wai - see! ee om SER Ra SO THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. “ Exactly so, sir, and in all my life I never df ome, ape such a feller to eat whatever comes in his way, and to get blazing drunk whenever be has the op- . You should hear him in his cups— what gammon he talks about Grand Dukes and Grooms of the Stole, and a0 on; and he says too that he has been a Baron and was called ‘ my lord,’ that he has dined with our Queen and eat hob-and-nob with Prinee Halbert. Of course it's all lies———” “ And what name does he bear?” asked Chris- tian, who did not think it worth while to inform the mountebank that so far from its being all false, it was perfectly consistent with truth. “Name?” ejaculsted the mountebank con- temptuously : “ you never heard such a name as he gave himself—but it was an uncommon true one, I can toll you, sir, when he came amongst ua. What do you think of Raggidbak as a name to go to bed with ?” “A vory strange one indeed,” answered Chris- tian: and having dr the promised extra shilling into the basin, he hurried away; for he saw that Baron Ragpidbak was looking towards him over the top of the mouth-organ. On re- gaining hie hotel, our hero made some little altera- tions in his toilet, and eat about five o’cluck de- scended to the coffee-room to give orders in respect to his dinner. At the moment ho entered the only person who wee there was that tall handsome young gentleman of abont three-and-fwenty, whom he had seen at breakfast in the morning, and whose appearance had s0 much ihterested him. Tha in- dividual was sitting at a table, on which his clbows reated, and his face was buried in his hands: he was evidently absorbed in the deepest thought— and Christian, judging from the melancholy air which he had obeerved in the morning, fancied that it was a reverie of no very pleasing nature. Our young hero sate down and took up a newspaper— when all of a sudden the interesting stranger at the other table smote his clenched fist upcen the board, giving unconscious utterance to souie cjacu- lation expressive of the agitated condition of his mind. 1¢ was cvident that he had not noticed Christian's presence—or else that his mind was so completely abstracted he would have done the aame if a dozen persons hed beon in the room. Suddenly perceiving our horo, his countenance became crim. | son—ho felt deeply ashamed of himeelf—and he began to falter forth an apology for bis singular | behaviour. “Pray do not consider any excuse necessary,” interrupted Christian, with so much gentle kind- ness of manner that he at once made a favourable impression upon the stranger. “I truly regret,” addod our hero, “that you should have so much cause for affliction.” The stranger gave no immediate response—but surveyed Christian with the sir of one who sought to ascertain whether he would make a friend who might merit his confidence, and who would accept it with a kind and sympathizing feeling: for his mind was no doubt in that state when such fricnd- ship would prove most truly welcome. Christian comprehended what was thus passing in hie thoughts ; bat he feared to be obtrusive, and therefore saii nothing. By his louks however he seemed to invoke that cunfidence which the xf. ficted stranger was evidently anxious to iupart. a Nt NOG eae © Oh . = ee ee ee ee eee NN te ee el ———_ e & beg ey oo ae pees i Oe ee - _ He = aw SS CO