The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 110: what you’re looking at

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

THE STEAM PACKET, 77 \ glance of a Guebre gazing at the setting-sun, or e Roman pilgrim at St. Peter’s brazen toe. Miss Belinda had discovered that Miss Cowslip was very fond of a game of romps, and was giggling with that young lady in one of the little cabins adjoining the paddle-box ;—and Miss Sarah, with true musical enthusiasm, was watching the mechanical ‘“upwards beat” and ‘‘ downwards beat’’ of the piston rods of the engine, seen through the lattice of the hatchway. Mrs. Pifpaf was detailing a long list of grievances connected with her “‘ poor head”’ to the wife of some Luminary with whom she now found herself acquainted for the first time ;—and Mr. Pifpaf and the tailor were pacing the deck, conversing pleasantly upon various matters. Even the little spaniel dog, which had flown at Mr. Pifpaf on the preceding day, was not idle; for he burnt his tail by rubbing it against the chimney, which was as hot as it could be, although it deceived the poor animal by being painted black. ‘We shall have a delicious trip, my lord,” said Mr. Pifpaf to the tailor. “Oh! delightful!” was the answer; ‘‘and I can assure you that I for one am devilish glad to get away from London: those infernal cre- ditors of mine—” “My lord?” exclaimed the chairman, interrogatively. . ‘‘ I mean the creditors of that cursed establishment,” explained the self-styled nobleman, ‘‘ of which I was the director, you know.” ** And pray which might that have been, my lord ?”’ “‘'Why—the ‘London Dental Institution,’ for drawing the teeth of the poor without a letter of introduction,” answered Mr. Buckram. _ “And didn’t it succeed?” inquired Mr. Pifpaf. ‘“ Not very well,”’ said the tailor; ‘‘ and yet the thing was feasible ot See aS by voluntary eontributions—every subscriber of five guineas annually to have the right of having five teeth drawn gratis—every subscriber of ten guineas to have his own teeth and those of all his relations extracted without any limit. Only conceive, Mr. Pifpaf, what an inducement to people; and, besides all that, the Duke of Houndsditch patron !’ ‘¢ Inducement, indeed!” cried the chairman, very naturally indig- nant at those self-willed and obstinate persons who would not nobly _ sacrifice every tooth in their heads to support such a valuable institu- tion. ‘‘ But,” he added, after amoment’s pause, ‘‘ I hope your lordship was no great loser by the affair?” | “Oh! no,” answered Buckram, now once more upon his guard ; “‘ my om solicitor has defended all the actions, because Houndsditch is really % Ss answerable.” : Tam delighted to hear it !”’ » ejaculated Mr. Pifpaf; and so he was, : ip ad ¥ + 4 ‘ b “s a Gomicbooks (E(0)