The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 40: what you’re looking at

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

THE STEAM PACKET. 209 “Certainly, Mr. Pifpaf,” returned that lady: “any friend of Mr.— Captain Pentonville’s, I mean—will always be welcome here. But there really seems a fatuity about our forming his lordship’s acquaint- ance. Captain Pentonville was to have brought him to dine with us that day I wore my orange-coloured—I mean just about last Christ- mas ; and his lordship never came.” “* Yes, my dear madam,”’ exclaimed the ae ‘“< but what an ex- cellent excuse—a ministerial question—and the prime minister sent four stout fellows to carry Noodleton by force—’tis a fact, pon my honour—down to the House to give his vote. Noodleton has com- menced an action against the premier—damages a hundred thousand pounds.” ‘“¢ And do you think he will get them?” asked the unsophisticated chairman of the Luminaries. ** Why—I really wish he may get them,” answered the captain, with amazing emphasis upon the auxiliary verb. ‘¢ And then,” continued Mrs. Pifpaf, ‘‘ there was the evening when we gave the grand ball, and his lordship promised so faithfully, through the captain, to come. I’m sure I shouldn’t have had the supper laid out by Gunter, if I’d suspected for a moment that we were going to be disappointed. Well—upon this occasion, also, his lord-— ship could not come—I forget why now.” ‘“‘ Do you not remember, my dear madam ?”’ cried Captain Pentonville, who did not appear altogether comfortable as Mrs. Pifpaf enu- merated these very extraordinary instances of disappointment: “I recollect that I myself was the bearer of his lordship’s apology—an apology which he was quite ashamed to send to people whom he already considered to be his friends in advance. If you remember, there was supposed to be a split in the Cabinet just at that moment; andif ministers had gone out, Noodleton would have immediately been called upon to form a new ministry. He knew that this result would occur—although the country never suspected it; and so his name was never alluded to, in that respect, in the papers.” ‘‘ And if he had been prime minister,” said Mr. Pifpaf, meekly, for he was very naturally overpowered with the intimacy which he enjoyed with the friend of a man who might have been prime minister of England,—‘“‘ I suppose he would have done something good for you —eh, Pentonville ?” ; ‘¢ Something good ?—ah! I believe you!” ejaculated the captain. “I should have been raised to the rank of general on the spot, and made commander-in-chief of the forces. Only think of that!” he added, glancing triumphantly around him. ‘Oh! I can assure you, more (E(0) GComicbooks