The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 7 — page 363: what you’re looking at

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

C memen _ tne ce al re 2S eee —> — ie, owes swe =f wee = = 863 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COUBT. TT er eEnEaInAgean rnemnamnesememegmenmnsnmnestaeaan anne mmangeenemenenne emmememnemenesnnn naa could have « capacity for suc an inordinate | of the astounding supper-eater’s features, ft would amount of food !” be s relief to his mind to ascertain that it was The worthy butler was however wrong : for | really a human face which possessed the organ down sate the domino—again an inroad was| that took in so huge s quantity of sustenance. commenced upon the viands—snother bottle of |The butler accordingly proceeded in person to champagne was done ample justice to. A vague | where the supper-eater was seated; and bending terror stole over the butler: childhodd’s stories of | down—but not without a certain degree of appre- voracious ghouls came back to his memory—he | hension, lest he should catch a glimpse of some- felt ill at ease—and yet he dared not betray what | thing frightful—he said, “I beg your pardon, sir he had expericnced. -—my lord--your Grace’—(fur, he did not of “Tf,” he said to himself, “he bad now come | course know which appellation was right)—“but ust to taste the jelly, the whipped cream, the | I thought perhaps a little burgundy might now be lanc-mange, or some trifle of that surt, one might | agreeable.” possibly understand it: but to think that he; “Chsmpagne!” wag the single word which came should now, on his fourth appearance, sit down to | from the supper-eater’s lips: it was sternly pro- devour the best half of that perigord-pie, is eome- | nounced—and at the same moment the butler thing’ unnatural to a degree. And then too the; caught a glimpse of a very fierce moustache wine! It is quite clear that when he gets up | through the opening in the domino. from his seat, he will reel about in a terrible stato; Abashed and dismayed, the worthy functionary of intoxication.” returned to the sidebogrd and despatched the But the supper-eater did nothing of the sort. | champagne to the voracious dumino. It was soon When a repaat quite as copious as any of the pre- | disposed of ; and the repast devoured upon this ceding ones, had beon disposed of, the domino took | occasion, was, if anything, more copious than the his departure with an admirable steadiness of gait:; preceding ones. The domino then withdrew, ow that it secomed as if four bottles of champagne | walking as steadily aa if he had only been drink- and at least two of sherry and port, tosey nothing ing water, and mot tumbling down dead with of a few glassgs of liqueur, had produced not the | apuplexy ere he reachod the door—as the astounded slightest effect upon the brain of that extraordi- | butler thought that he assuredly must. Ifo dis- mary unknown. As for the attendant’ domestics— | appeared from the view: and a prulonged sigh they would have been almost as much confounded ! ernanated from the heart of the musernble butler. as the butler himself, were it not that the naturo; It waa nuw about half-past one v'cluck ; and the of their dudes kept bim in a more vital state of | company quitted the refresiment room to return calamity, into the other apartments, to hold themselves in The guests were now crowding more and more to | readiness for the goneral unmasking that was the refreshment rdom; and the process of eating | shortly to take place. Once more was the butler and drinking withaut taking off their masks or | left in that room with only the attendant dumes- throwing back the huode of their dominoes, guve | tics. But be could not keep hu eyes away trum rise to muoh gaiety and morriment—yet all par- | the gilded portals; and though every inatant he tially subdued by that well-bred fastidiousness | really expected to behold the re-appearance of the which keepe down laughter to a low key in the | unconacionable supper-vater,—yot ho endeavoured saloons of aristocracy or within the walle of ' to persuade himeelf that such an event was bevoul Royalty’s dwolling. Nevertheless, there was quite | the Hinnts of all human possibility. At length suilicient animation to wean the butler away trom | some one did appear—but not the dumine: it was the unpleasant reflections which had been passing | Prince Albert. in his mind,—-until the upfortunate man was des- “Well,” said his Royal Highness to the butter, tined to reevive an almost overpowing shock on | ‘has everything goue off well?P—bave the cum- behqlding the 'dowino make his fifth appearance! { pany enjoyed themselves?” “Tf be is going to sit down and devour another! “ Admirably, may it please your Royal High- suppor,” eaid the unfortunate and bewildered | ness,” responded the butler, with a profound bow. butler to himeelf, “I shall know that IT am a mad- “ {am glad of that,” said the Prince, glancing man-—that I am haunted by dolusions—and for | towards the supper-eater. “I am dusiruvus that fear leat I should do any body a mischief, I will) on such occasions all restraint sbould be thrown ‘vuah off to Redlam, knock at the dour, and insist ' off, and that her Majesty’s guests should do ample upon being taken io.” | justice ta that which is provided fur them.” Yet though the domino had come back for a! “1 oan assure your Keys! Highness,” responded fh repast, the butler did not carry out his threat | the butler, “ that the most ample justice has been of evlf-immolation at the shrine of Lunacy. But | done—espedally by one——” for eome minutes he remained tranefixed in blank! “Ab!” said the Prince, “Iam glad ot it !"— dismay, hke one who was gazing upon an appari: then glancing at the butler, he thought be beheld tion from the dead. He eves forgot to place more | something strange in his look: and he observed, champagne upon the table, until reminded of his‘ “But about thie one to whom you specially al- duty by his deputy, who waa present. The butler / luded P" gasped as if about tu make some observation but} “ Mfay your Royal Highness forgive me if I am was unable to give utterance to it: and then he | really mad,” rejoined the butler: “but as I live, ed $0 draw another bottle of champagne. | there ie one guest, wearing a domino, who bas ut now a thought strack him. eaten three fowls, a pigeon-pie, three parte of a “He surely woold Hke a bottle of burgundy,” | perigord-pie, and cleared eix dishee of bam and ho said to himself, “after eo much chanpagne P’ | tongag. Ho has drunk five bottles of champagne And this idea was iamediately followed by an- —aboe three of sherry and port—and not less ether. If the butler could but obtain a glimpee / than a couple of dozen glasses of liqueur.” COMME HOO® woe, eel a - —=- = -< = — — wee ’ { ) inane Babs seeisinpagn ET ones Re En STI wy. EE wea lawray “wientrGmr er nae pes Oy eget yee yi Ql SS