Jorrocks' Jaunts and JollitiesSurtees, Robert Smith
General
Jorrocks' Jaunts and Jollities
Surtees, Robert Smith
England -- Fiction; Fox hunting -- Fiction; Hunting stories
"Pray, Mister J----," said she, taking no more notice of the
Yorkshireman than if he had been enveloped in Jack the Giant-killer's
coat of darkness, "what is the meaning of this card? I found it in your
best coat pocket, which you had on last night, and I do desire, sir,
that you will tell me how it came there. Good morning, sir (spying the
Yorkshireman at last), perhaps you know where Mr. Jorrocks was last
night, and perhaps you can tell me who this person is whose card I
have found in the corner of Mr. Jorrocks's best coat pocket?" "Indeed,
madam", replied the Yorkshireman, "Mr. Jorrocks's movements of yesterday
evening are quite a secret to me. It is the night that he usually spends
at the Magpie and Stump, but whether he was there or not I cannot
pretend to say, not being a member of the free and easy club. As for the
card, madam..." "There, then, take it and read it," interrupted Mrs.
J----; and he took the card accordingly--a delicate pale pink, with blue
borders and gilt edge--and read--we would fain put it all in dashes and
asterisks--"Miss Juliana Granville, John Street, Waterloo Road."
This digression giving Mr. Jorrocks a moment or two to recollect
himself, he pretended to get into a thundering passion, and seizing
the card out of the Yorkshireman's hand, he thrust it into the fire,
swearing it was an application for admission into the Deaf and Dumb
Institution, where he wished he had Mrs. J----. The Yorkshireman, seeing
the probability of a breeze, pretended to have forgotten something
at the Piazza, and stole away, begging Jorrocks to pick him up as he
passed. Peace had soon been restored; for the Yorkshireman had not taken
above three or four turns up and down the coffee-room, ere George the
waiter came to say that a gentleman waited outside. Putting on his hat
and taking a coat over his arm, he turned out; when just before the door
he saw a man muffled up in a great military cloak, and a glazed hat,
endeavouring to back a nondescript double-bodied carriage (with lofty
mail box-seats and red wheels), close to the pavement. "Who-ay, who-ay,"
said he, "who-ay, who-ay, horse!" at the same time jerking at his mouth.
As the Yorkshireman made his exit, a pair eyes of gleamed through the
small aperture between the high cloak collar and the flipe of the glazed
hat, which he instantly recognised to belong to Jorrocks. "Why, what the
deuce is this you are in?" said he, looking at the vehicle. "Jump up,"
said Jorrocks, "and I'll tell you all about it," which having done, and
the machine being set in motion he proceeded to relate the manner in
which he had exchanged his cruelty-van for it--by the way, as arrant
a bone-setter as ever unfortunate got into, but which he, with the
predilection all men have for their own, pronounced to be a "monstrous
nice carriage." On their turning off the rough pavement on to the quiet
smooth Macadamised road leading to Waterloo Bridge, his dissertation was
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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