Sketches by Boz, Illustrative of Every-Day Life and Every-Day PeopleDickens, Charles
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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
We hope our readers will not be alarmed at this rather ominous title.
We assure them that we are not about to become political, neither have
we the slightest intention of being more prosy than usual—if we can
help it. It has occurred to us that a slight sketch of the general
aspect of ‘the House,’ and the crowds that resort to it on the night of
an important debate, would be productive of some amusement: and as we
have made some few calls at the aforesaid house in our time—have
visited it quite often enough for our purpose, and a great deal too
often for our personal peace and comfort—we have determined to attempt
the description. Dismissing from our minds, therefore, all that feeling
of awe, which vague ideas of breaches of privilege, Serjeant-at-Arms,
heavy denunciations, and still heavier fees, are calculated to awaken,
we enter at once into the building, and upon our subject.
Half-past four o’clock—and at five the mover of the Address will be ‘on
his legs,’ as the newspapers announce sometimes by way of novelty, as
if speakers were occasionally in the habit of standing on their heads.
The members are pouring in, one after the other, in shoals. The few
spectators who can obtain standing-room in the passages, scrutinise
them as they pass, with the utmost interest, and the man who can
identify a member occasionally, becomes a person of great importance.
Every now and then you hear earnest whispers of ‘That’s Sir John
Thomson.’ ‘Which? him with the gilt order round his neck?’ ‘No, no;
that’s one of the messengers—that other with the yellow gloves, is Sir
John Thomson.’ ‘Here’s Mr. Smith.’ ‘Lor!’ ‘Yes, how d’ye do, sir?—(He
is our new member)—How do you do, sir?’ Mr. Smith stops: turns round
with an air of enchanting urbanity (for the rumour of an intended
dissolution has been very extensively circulated this morning); seizes
both the hands of his gratified constituent, and, after greeting him
with the most enthusiastic warmth, darts into the lobby with an
extraordinary display of ardour in the public cause, leaving an immense
impression in his favour on the mind of his ‘fellow-townsman.’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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