England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; Man-woman relationships -- England -- Fiction
half his dignity to “nab,” and “pop in quod.” Even some vanished great
one's walking-stick, now sticks in the black corner of the Jew's shop,
waiting to be once again shaken by the handle, even though it be but
during a brief proud hour on Sunday, by the lad who yesterday hawked
cedar pencils through the streets at a halfpenny a piece.
“Buy, sir?--buy?--buy?” Mr. Pale-thorpe replied in the negative to a
man who thus addressed him, but volunteered to sell. He produced the
contents of his handkerchief; and before ten minutes, more had elapsed
his best blue coat with gilt buttons, and a second pair of corduroys,
became the property of the Jew, at one-third less than their value. The
reason of this strange proceeding was that during the preceding
night's glorification the Yorkshireman had,--in some way totally
incomprehensible to himself,--been eased of absolutely every farthing he
possessed. He had, therefore, no alternative but to raise a little ready
cash upon his clothes, until he could receive from the bank in Leeds,
where he had deposited his scrapings, enough to set himself straight
again and pay his passage home.
Several times had the sun rolled over the head of this side of the world
after the scene above-described, when, one rainy evening, about dusk, as
Miss Sowersoft was casting a weary and longing eye across the soddened
fields which lay between Snitterton Lodge and the high road, to
her inexpressible pleasure she beheld the well-known figure of Mr.
Palethorpe making its way towards the house.
“Well, here you are again!” she exclaimed, as he flung down his
top-coat, and demanded a jack to get his boots off. “How have you gone
on? I see you hav'n't brought him with you, at all events.”
Although Miss Sowersoft had made an inquiry the moment Mr. Palethorpe
entered the house, she now refused to hear him talk until he had
satisfied his appetite. This achievement occupied, of course,
considerable time. He then, in the midst of an open-mouthed and anxious
rural audience, consisting of every individual, man, maid, and boy,
upon the farm, related--_not_ his own adventures, but the imaginary
adventures of some person very closely resembling himself, who never
lived, and whose peregrinations had only existed in the very little
world of his own brain.
His expedition had been most successful; for, although he had not
exactly succeeded in discovering Colin's retreat,--a mishap attributable
to the enormous extent of London, and not to his own want of
sagacity,--yet he had astonished the natives there by such specimens of
country talent as they were very little prepared for. He pulled out a
new watch. “Look there,” said he. “I got that through parting with the
old 'un, and a better than that niver went on wheels. I bought some
handkerchers for about half-price, and see'd more of Lunnun in ten days
than many folks that have been agate there all their lives.”
“Then you went 'top o' th' Moniment?” demanded old George.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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