The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 33: what you’re looking at

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

16 THE STEAM PACKET, delinquents fined, under the clause relative to the shutter in the rules of the club, as at the next meeting. But to continue. The moment Captain Pentonville seated himself, up rose Mr. Deputy Higgins, to propose that the plan of the com- mittee should be adopted. Mr. Kruby seconded the motion of Mr. Deputy Higgins, and upwards of a dozen honourable and independent Luminaries supported it. Mr. Pifpaf put the motion, amidst great confusion—in consequence of every one persisting in expounding his plans and intentions with regard to the voyage, to his neighbour; but — every hand was held up to indicate an assent. Mr. Splikes then moved, in a most eloquent speech, which was loudly applauded, and all but encored, that the committee already appointed should be requested to carry out the plan it had already laid down. Mr. Cowslip seconded this motion, which was also carried unanimously. It being now nearly half-an-hour after midnight, the Luminaries began to drop off according to custom; and at length only Mr. Pifpaf and Captain Pentonville were left. These gentlemen indulged ina parting glass together ; and the Captain, having received an invitation to dine with the chairman on the ensuing day at five o’clock, parted with that gentleman for the night. CHAPTER III. IN WHICH THE READER IS INTRODUCED, WITHOUT ANY CEREMONY, TO THE AMIABLE FAMILY OF MR. PIFPAF.—CAPTAIN PENTONVILLE RENDERS HIMSELF PARTICULARLY AGREEABLE. At a quarter to five o’clock on the following afternoon, Mrs. Pifpaf, with her three daughters, proceeded to the drawing-room of their _town-residence, which was airily and cheerfully situate in a lane just six feet wide, from door-step to door-step. But so wonderfully did the houses manifest their entire disregard for anything like a perpen- dicular, that they resembled so many leaning towers of Pisa adjoining each other, and the servants could shake hands with one another, and very likely did, from opposite garret windows. Had these houses only been built a little higher, they would have touched each other at the tops, and thus formed an acute angled-triangle, with the width of the lane for a base. | Gomichooks:.co