Sketches by Boz, Illustrative of Every-Day Life and Every-Day PeopleDickens, Charles
General
Sketches by Boz, Illustrative of Every-Day Life and Every-Day People
Dickens, Charles
London (England) -- Social life and customs -- 19th century; London (England) -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
The company are now promenading outside in all the dignity of wigs,
spangles, red-ochre, and whitening. See with what a ferocious air the
gentleman who personates the Mexican chief, paces up and down, and with
what an eye of calm dignity the principal tragedian gazes on the crowd
below, or converses confidentially with the harlequin! The four clowns,
who are engaged in a mock broadsword combat, may be all very well for
the low-minded holiday-makers; but these are the people for the
reflective portion of the community. They look so noble in those Roman
dresses, with their yellow legs and arms, long black curly heads, bushy
eyebrows, and scowl expressive of assassination, and vengeance, and
everything else that is grand and solemn. Then, the ladies—were there
ever such innocent and awful-looking beings; as they walk up and down
the platform in twos and threes, with their arms round each other’s
waists, or leaning for support on one of those majestic men! Their
spangled muslin dresses and blue satin shoes and sandals (a _leetle_
the worse for wear) are the admiration of all beholders; and the
playful manner in which they check the advances of the clown, is
perfectly enchanting.
‘Just a-going to begin! Pray come for’erd, come for’erd,’ exclaims the
man in the countryman’s dress, for the seventieth time: and people
force their way up the steps in crowds. The band suddenly strikes up,
the harlequin and columbine set the example, reels are formed in less
than no time, the Roman heroes place their arms a-kimbo, and dance with
considerable agility; and the leading tragic actress, and the gentleman
who enacts the ‘swell’ in the pantomime, foot it to perfection. ‘All in
to begin,’ shouts the manager, when no more people can be induced to
‘come for’erd,’ and away rush the leading members of the company to do
the dreadful in the first piece.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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