The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 358: what you’re looking at

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

a 302 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. could have a capacity for such an inordinate amount of food!” The worthy butler was however wrong : for down sate the domino—again an inroad was commenced upon the yiands—another bottle of champagne was done ample justice to. A vague terror stole over the butler: childhood’s stories of voracious ghouls came back to his memory—he felt ill at ease—and yet he dared not betray what he had experienced. “Tf,” he said to himself, “ he had now come just to taste the jelly, the whipped cream, the blanc-mange, or some trifle of that sort, one might possibly understand it: but to think that he should now, on his fourth appearance, sit down to devour the best half of that perigord-pie, is some- thing unnatural to a degree. And then too the wine! It is quite clear that when he gets up from his seat, he will reel about in a terrible state of intoxication.” But the supper-eater did nothing of the sort. When a repast quite as copious as any of the pre- ceding ones, had been disposed of, the domino took his departure with an admirable steadiness of gait : so that it seemed as if four bottles of champagne and at least two of sherry and port, to say nothing of a few glasses of liqueur, had produced not the slightest effect upon the brain of that extraordi- nary unknown. As for the attendant domestics— they would have been almost as much confounded as the butler himself, were it not that the nature of their duties kept him in a more vital state of calamity. The guests were now crowding more and more to the refreshment room; and the process of eating and drinking without taking off their masks or throwing back the hoods of their dominoes, gave rise to much gaiety and merriment—yet all par- tially subdued by that well-bred fastidiousness which keeps down laughter to a low key in the saloons of aristocracy or within the walls of Royalty’s dwelling. Nevertheless, there was quite sufficient animation to wean the butler away trom the unpleasant reflections which had been passing in his mind,—until the unfortunate man was des- tined to receive an almost overpowing shock on beholding the domino make his fifth appearance! “If he is going to sit down and devour another supper,” sald the unfortunate and_ bewildered butler to himself, “ I shall know that I am a mad- man—that I am haunted by delusions—and for fear lest I should do any body a mischief, I will rush off to Bedlam, knock at the door, and insist upon being taken in.” Yet though the domino had come back for a fifth repast, the butler did not carry out his threat of self-immolation at the shrine of Lunacy. But for some minutes he remained transfixed in blank dismay, like one who was gazing upon an appari- tion from the dead. He even forgot to place more champagne upon the table, until reminded of his duty by his deputy, who was present. The butler pasped as if about to make some observation but was unable to give utterance to it: and then he proceeded to draw another bottle of champagne. But now a thought struck him. “He surely would like a bottle of burgundy,” he said to himself, “after so much champagne ?” And this idea was immediately followed by an- other. If the butler could but obtain a glimpse ein ee eee | ————————————————— Ee nem ee of the astounding supper-eater’s features, it would be a relief to his mind to ascertain that it was really a human face which possessed the organ that took in so huge a quantity of sustenance. The butler accordingly proceeded in person to where the supper-eater was seated; and bending down—but not without a certain degree of appre- hension, lest he should catch a glimpse of some- thing frightful—he said, “I beg your pardon, sir —my lord—your Grace’—(for he did not of course know which appellation was right)—“ but I thought perhaps a little burgundy might now be agreeable.” “Champagne!” was the single word which came © from the supper-eater’s lips: it was sternly pro- nounced—and at the same moment the butler caught a glimpse of a very fierce moustache through the opening in the domino. Abashed and dismayed, the worthy functionary returned to the sideboard and despatched the champagne to the voracious domino. It was soon disposed of ; and the repast devoured upon this occasion, was, if anything, more copious than the preceding ones. The domino then withdrew, walking as steadily as if he had only been drink- ing water, and xot tumbling down dead with apoplexy ere he reached the door—as the astounded butler thought that he assuredly must. He dis- appeared from the view: and a prolonged sigh emanated from the heart of the miserable butler. It was now about half-past one o’clock; and the company quitted the refreshment room to return into the other apartments, to hold themselves in readiness for the general unmasking that was shortly to take place. Once more was the butler left in that room with only the attendant domes- tics. But he could not keep his eyes away from the gilded portals; and though every instant he really expected to behold the re-appearance of the unconscionable supper-eater,—yet he endeavoured to persuade himself that such an event was beyond the limits of all human possibility. At length some one did appear—but not the domino: it was Prince Albert. “Well,” said his Royal Highness to the butler, “has everything gone off well?—have the com- pany enjoyed themselves ?” ““Admirably, may it please your Royal High- ness,” responded the butler, with a profound bow. “Tam glad of that,” said the Prince, glancing towards the supper-eater. “I am desirous that on such occasions all restraint should be thrown off, anc that her Majesty’s guests should do ample justice to that which is provided for them.” “T can assure your Royal Highness,” responded the butler, “that the most ample justice has been done—especially by one . “Ah!” said the Prince, “Iam glad of it !”— then glancing at the butler, he thought he beheld something strange in his look: and he observed, “But about this one to whom you specially al- luded P” : ‘May your Royal Highness forgive me if I am really mad,” rejoined the butler: “but as I live, there is one guest, wearing a domino, who hag eaten three fowls, a pigeon-pie, three parts of a perigord-pie, and cleared six dishes of ham and tongue. He has drunk five bottles of champagns —about three of sherry and port—and not less than a couple of dozen glasses of liqueur.” SMALL LA LLL A Ce ge owes | ews = err JOOKS (E(0) m