"Ask Mamma"; or, The Richest Commoner In EnglandSurtees, Robert Smith
General
"Ask Mamma"; or, The Richest Commoner In England
Surtees, Robert Smith
England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; Fox hunting -- Fiction
“Has anybody seen anything of Gameboy Green?” Next, the heavily
laden family vehicles began to arrive, containing old fat
_paterfamilias_ in the red coat of his youth, with his “missis”
by his side, and a couple of buxom daughters behind, one of whom
will be installed in the driving seat when papa resigns. Thus we
have the Mellows of Mawdsley Hill, the Chalkers of Streetley, and
the Richleys of Jollyduck Park, and the cry is still, “They come!
they come!” It is going to be a bumper meet, for the foxes are
famous, and the sight of a good “get away” is worth a dozen
Legers put together.
See here comes a nice quiet-looking little old gentleman in a
well-brushed, flat-brimmed hat, a bird’s-eye cravat, a dark grey
coat buttoned over a step-collared toilanette vest, nearly
matching in line his delicate cream-coloured leathers, who
everybody stares at and then salutes, as he lifts first one
rose-tinted top and then the other, working his way through the
crowd, on a thorough-bred snaffle-bridled bay. He now makes up to
Sir Moses, who exclaims as the raised hat shows the familiar
blue-eyed face, “Ah! Dicky my man! how d’ye do? glad to see you?”
and taking off his glove the Baronet gives our old friend
Boggledike a hearty shake of the hand. Dicky acknowledges the
honour with becoming reverence, and then begins talking of sport
and the splendid runs they have been having, while Sir Moses,
instead of listening, cons over some to give him in return.
But who have we here sitting so square in the tandem-like
dogcart, drawn by the high-stepping, white-legged bay with
sky-blue rosettes, and long streamers, doing the pride that apes
humility in a white Macintosh, that shows the pink collar to
great advantage? Imperial John, we do believe?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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