The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 140: what you’re looking at

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

THE STEAM PACKET. | 99 - “Oh! coil of rope—Number 103 in catalogue,” cried the vir- tuoso; ‘‘ why that is the very identical cord with which Greenacre was hanged.” | *¢ Indeed !”” said the captain ; ‘‘ how singular! and this little thing here 2” “That ?’”’ cried Mr. Smiggs 5 ; “‘oh! that isone of Jack Sheppard’s teeth !”’ “ Curious! ” ahi euall the captain—but whether he meant that it was curious for Mr. John Sheppard to have been endowed with teeth, or that one of them should have fallen into the possession of Mr. Smiggs, we cannot determine. “< And this hair?.” inquired Mr. Buckram, pointing to the object which had excited his curiosity. _*°A lock cut off the head of the man whowas guillotined this morn- ing, my lord,’’ answered the virtuoso, who had heard the tailor receive that title from his companions, and felt highly honoured. to think that a nobleman should condescend to visit his collection. “« And this pen?” asked a Luminary, who,.not seeing any differ- ence between that pen and any other pen, could not conceive why it should deserve a place, amongst other rare objects, (especially Green- acre’s rope) in the large glass case. “‘ Ah! that pen, indeed!” said the virtuoso, with a mysterious shake of the head; “ that pen was the one with which Napoleon wrote his first love-letter to Josephine, when she was the mistress of Barras.”’ The countenance of the Luminary, who had asked the question which evoked this highly satisfactory answer, immediately assumed an expression of becoming respect and deep solemnity. ‘“¢ And wot’s that there old statty, with a shillelah in his fist and a lion’s hide chucked over his shoulder?” demanded Tom Gibbins, thrusting } a stick forward as he spoke, in order to indicate the object concerning which he made the inquiry; but in so doing, he received an accidental push from some Luminary behind him, and the porns of the stick broke off the statue’s nose. _ “My Hercules!. my Hercules! my dear-——yenerated, respected Her- cules 1” ejaculated Mr. Smiggs, as the nasal promontory dropped at his feet; “a statue that came from Pompeii—and for which I gave— “fifteen—yes—fifteen francs !”? ** Fifteen gammons ! !” bawled Mr. Gibbins; “vy, I could get jist as good a von in London at the Italian: statty manufackturs for two bob and a bender.” ‘Out, ruffian!”’ cried the incensed virtuoso ; “pollute not the eecinany of science with your unhallowed presence! Out—avaunt!” ; H 2 CEONMIE OOS (E©)