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

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

eee, en nerd 338 trifle recovered from his amazement, he was moving away. But the stilted mountebank who was especially charged with the duty of collecting the coin with which the publie generosity was wont ‘o recompense the authors of these splendid entertainments, bad hie eye upon Christian from the very first moment that he had halted near the group; and the fellow had at qnce singled him , out as the likeliest spectator to drop a silver coin into the basin. He therefore strode after him in some such a manper as that @high the fairy tale represents the ogre with the eyvea-league boots as adopting; and stoopin was tpparen tly at the fmminent risk of falling head remost and breaking his neck—the mogutebank babareed him- self on one stilt and ted the besin. fing” into it--wheteat the ix tien dropped a sh mountebank was sei with such @ violent Qcatasy of delight that he whirled himeeif round on the ane stilt, the other being stretehed out behind him fn a horisoatal direction and chtmwing ever the hata, cape, and bonnota of the epectatars who happened t0 come within the senge of this peculiar feat. “You are @ perfoot gentleman, oir,” mid the mountebank, when hie achievement was finished ¢ and he bowed low to Christian as be thus spoke. . “ If you think eo,” exld our here with a smile: a ans@@? me a question or twoe and t il Fep smother vin into ‘your basin.” “ At Many Snswere @ you like, sir,” joyously teeponded the mounteban’, “ at that rate ;”—and be bent more forward to heat what Christian had fe say—plecing his hands upon bis knees, as- aaming a sort of squatting position in the air, but dodging the while to and fro or from tide to side With liccle short atepe of his stilts, so as to main- ‘tain Wis balance: for it requires but a very limited knowledge of the laws of equilibrium and gravita- tion te eonvinee any one of our readers thet a gentleman thus perched pon high stilts cannot very conveniently -stand perfectly still for three moments at a time, ° “ Who is that person that playe your drum inquired Christian. “Never mind why 1 ask— and don’t look round at him, as I do aot wish him to see that I am speaking of him.” “ He is a poor German devil that we picked up a few months back,” replied the mountebank ; “ and it so happened that we wanted a person to play the drum and the ——" ' “ The organ ” said Christian, inquiringly. - ©Yes—the mouth-organ, to be sure!—and where is there a nobler instrument?’ said the mountebank, with a. transient air of indignation: but apparently recollecting that another shilling was at stake, he instantaneously recovered his ; humour—and having cut a caper to re- eve his feelings, he again bent down to Christian. “Yee,” he continued, “ we picked up that poor devil some months ago, and as our pardner which used to beat the dram and play the organ, had gone into a little temporary retirement -—only six months at the mill, for mistaking another gentleman's pocket for his own during the bitter cold weather of March last, when a man was of course glad to put his hand anywheres to keep it warm-——” | “ Well, well,” interrapted Christian; “ you took this German to supply his place ?” : ‘ THE MYSTFRIEL OF THE COURT. “ Exactly eo, sir; and in all my life I never did see such a feller to eat whatever comes in his way, and to get blazing drunk whenever he bas the up- portunity. You should hear him in his cups— what gammon he talks about Grand Dukes and Gruome of the Stole, and so on; and he says too that he has been a Baron and was called ‘ my lord,’ that he hae dined with our Queen and sat hob-and-nob with Prince Halbert. Of ovurss it’s all liese——~” “And what name does he bear?” asked Chris- tian, who did not think it wérth while to inform the mountebank that so far from ite being all falee, it wae perfectly consistent with truth. “Namo?” ejaculated the mountebank eon- temptuously : “ you never heard such 6 name as he gave himeelf—but it was an oncommoag tras one, T can tell you, sir, when he came amongst us. What do you think of Raggidbak as q name to go to bed with ?” “A very strange one tedeed,” anaweved Chris. tan: and hating droppe€ the promised extra shilling inte the he hurried away; foe he saw that Baron ddak was looking towards him over the tap of the mouth-organ. On re gaining hie hotel, ear here made some little altcea. tlovie in bis taflet, and at sbout five o'clock de | to the coffes-toom te give orders in respeal to bis dinner, At the moment he entered thé only perton who Wee there wae that tall handsome young gentleman of qbout threy-and-twenty, whog he had seen at breakfaet in the Morning, and whete appearance had so much interested him. This in dividual was sitting at a table, om which his elbows rested, and his face was buried ia hie hands: bd was evittently absorbed in the Geepest thought < and Obristian, judging from the melane aty whieh he hud observed in the morning, fanéied thal it wan 6 reverts of no very pleasing nature. Ow) young bere ante down Gad took up a newspaper when all af a sudden the interesting strangest & the ather table emete his clenched flat Gpon the board, giving uncanseious utterance to some ejecu- lation expressive of the agitated condition of his mind. It was evident that he had not noticed Christian's prosence—or else that his mind was completely abstracted he would have done the eame if a dozen persons had been in the room. Suddenly perceiving our hero, his countenance became crim- son—he felt deeply ashamed of himeelf—and he began to falter forth an apology for hie singular bebaviour. “Pray do not consider any excuse necessary,” interrapted Christian, with so much gentle kind- ness of. manner that he at once made a fevoureble impression upon the stranger. “I truly regret,” added our hero, “that you should have eo much cause for effliction.” The stranger gave no immediate response—Ddub surveyed Christian with the air of one who sought to gecertain whether he would make a friend who might merit his confidence, and who woald accept it with a kind and sympathising feeling: for bis mind was no doubt in that state when such friead- ship would prove most truly weleome. Ohristian comprehended what was this in his thoughts ; but he feared to be obtrusive, therefore sai: nothing. By his looke however be seemed to invoke that confidence which the af- feted stranger was evidently anxious to imparh (COLL (C DOO (GO)