Jorrocks' Jaunts and JollitiesSurtees, Robert Smith
General
Jorrocks' Jaunts and Jollities
Surtees, Robert Smith
England -- Fiction; Fox hunting -- Fiction; Hunting stories
the boat band, consisting of a harp, a flute, a lute, a long horn, and
a short horn, struck up a quadrille,--and, without waiting for a reply,
our hero sidled past, and glided among the crowd that covered the deck.
"A fine young man, James," observed Mr. Jorrocks, eyeing Jemmy as he
elbowed his way down the boat--"fine young man--wants a little of his
father's ballast, but there's no putting old heads on young shoulders.
He's a beautiful dancer," added Mr. Jorrocks, putting his arm through
the Yorkshireman's, "let's go and see him foot it." Having worked their
way down, they at length got near the dancers, and mounting a ballast
box had a fine view of the quadrille. There were eight or ten couple at
work, and Jemmy had chosen a fat, dumpy, red-faced girl, in a bright
orange-coloured muslin gown, with black velvet Vandyked flounces, and
green boots--a sort of walking sunflower, with whom he was pointing his
toe, kicking out behind, and pirouetting with great energy and agility.
His male _vis-a-vis_ was a waistcoatless young Daniel Lambert, in white
ducks, and a blue dress-coat, with a carnation in his mouth, who with a
damsel in ten colours, reel'd to and fro in humble imitation. "Green
for ever!" cried Mr. Jorrocks, taking off his velvet cap and waving
it encouragingly over his head: "Green for ever! Go it Green!" and,
accordingly, Green went it with redoubled vigour. "Wiggins for ever!"
responded a female voice opposite, "I say, Wiggins!" which was followed
by a loud clapping of hands, as the fat gentleman made an astonishing
step. Each had his admiring applauders, though Wiggins "had the call"
among the ladies--the opposition voice that put him in nomination
proceeding from the mother of his partner, who, like her daughter, was a
sort of walking pattern book. The spirit of emulation lasted throughout
the quadrille, after which, sunflower in hand, Green traversed the deck
to receive the compliments of the company.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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