at night, especially Saturday night, and what is not less wonderful,
they are in this state often unable to preserve their balance--the laws
of gravity exert their influence, and the patient rolls into the
kennel. Soundly--soundly did this late united pair sleep and snore
till morning,--when the light broke in upon them and disclosed the
secret.--Imagine the consternation of the old lady when the fumes of
intoxication were dissipated, and she opened her eyes upon her snoring
partner--where she was or how she had been put there she knew not. It
was clear she was in bed with a man, and that was an event which had
never happened to her before,--so she set up a scream, and roused the
old gentleman, whose astonishment was not a jot less than the lady's.
[Illustration: 015]
She sat upon end in bed staring at him, he moved himself into, a similar
situation and riveted his eyes upon her, and so they remained for a few
instant's both full of perfect wonderment;--at last it struck the poor
lady that this was some monster of a man who had succeeded in some
horrible design upon her honour; the idea in a moment gave her the
look and manner of a fury, she flung out of bed and roared aloud to the
admiration of all the inmates of the house, who attracted by her first
scream were already peeping in at the door of the room,--"make me an
honest woman, thou wretch," she cried--"villain that you are,--make an
honest woman of me, or I'll be the death of thee"--down she sat upon the
bed-stocks, and as she attempted to dress herself she interlarded her
occupation with calling for vengeance upon her horrible seducer, who sat
trembling at the other side of the bed, vainly attempting in his fright
to insinuate his legs into his old tattered breeches. The landlord at
last interfered with the authority of his station, and on inquiry found
that no breach had been made which could not be easily repaired. The old
gentleman was asked if he had any objection to take his fair bedfellow
for a helpmate during the remainder of his life; he stammered out his
acquiescence as well as he could, and the enraged virgin consented to
smooth down her anger on satisfaction being made to her injured honour.
The bargain was soon struck, the happy pair were bundled off to church,
amidst the laughing shouts of the mob, where a parson waited to make
good the match too precipitately formed by our charitable friend.
POINT III. YES OR NO?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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