The Argosy — page 161: what you’re looking at

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

148 Dr. Ball. bobbed nearly into the flames, and recovered himself many times, it occurred to the little Doctor that another and a final bob might land him in the cinders ; so he pulled himself together heroically, and rose from his chair. He yawned gently. How quiet the house was. No doubt everyone was gone to bed. Had he not heard the Bishop say they were gone to their rooms, and for what—after tea—except for repose? He was tired. He, too, would go to bed. Then the good little gentleman knelt down, and said his evening prayers. He prayed most sincerely for the Bishop in spite of that missing chop, and calmly, with a conscience devoid of offence, began to make preparations for his couch. If he had any doubts about the earliness of the hour, he put it down to an episcopal rule that all should retire at an appointed time and so found it good in his eyes. To his primitive mind (a mind that had never wandered from a strict belief in the customs of the earlier part of the century), a dinner at half past seven was a thing unknown. If he had heard of any such absurdity, he had forgotten it. As I have told you, he was as dead to all innovations that had taken place since ‘‘ Sailor Billy” was king, as the babe un- born; and yet it was the sixty-fifth year of the nineteenth century. Finally he kicked off his boots, and crept gladly into bed. It wasa bed so comfortable that in two minutes he was sound asleep. He was indeed just entering into a beatific dream where his poorest old widow had received provisions sufficient in quantity to last her for several years, when a sound rang through the room, driving sleep affrighted from his lids. Where had he heard that sound before ? The gong! the gong! What! morning so soon! He sprang up in bed, and looked vaguely round him. As he did so, the door opened, and a young woman entered the room. ‘‘Eh?” said the Doctor, staring hard at her. He felt he was at a disadvantage in his night cap, and could not help wishing at the mo- ment that the tassel would not dangle so insanely. He wished, too, that some more intellectual remark had risen to his lips, but the wish was productive of no good. The young woman stared at him in return with undisguised wonder, but from speech she refrained. ‘‘Ehe” said the Doctor again; then, remembering that she had refused to make reply to this monosyllable before, he struggled with himself, and added some words to it. ‘‘ What is this?” he said, con- fusedly. ‘‘ What hour is it? Does his lordship rise before daylight ?” He bobbed the tassel at her as he said this. A most confounding tassel! of abnormal stoutness and unparalleled length. The maid went down before it. She drew nearer to the door, and laid her grasp as a precautionary measure upon the handle. ‘“‘ Lawks, sir,” she said, ‘‘ whatever are you lying a-bed for? Dinner will be served in two mingits.” With that she darted into the corridor outside, and fled from the ‘‘mad gentleman” to the safe regions below. “Dinner!” repeated the Doctor to himself, in a dazed tone; and Gomichbooks.com