The barber's chair; and, The hedgehog lettersJerrold, Douglas William
General
The barber's chair; and, The hedgehog letters
Jerrold, Douglas William
English literature -- 19th century; English wit and humor
_Nutts._ The money, Mrs Nutts, the money; it must distract his
attention. No man’s heart can be big enough to hold four millions o’
money and a wife at the same time.
_Mrs Nutts._ Just like you, Nutts. But I know what you’d have done if
you’d have been a dook. Yes; _you’d_ have had room enough in your heart
for all the money; and as for the poor ’oman, she might have taken her
chance and have stayed outside.
_All._ Ha! ha! ha!
_Mrs Nutts._ I see nothing to laugh at. And it’s enough to make a
woman’s flesh creep to hear you men.
_Tickle._ No offence, Mrs Nutts; but the fact is, women have no
bus’ness with sich a lot o’ money. ’Tisn’t giving us men a fair
chance. Woman, as I’ve always said, is fascinatin’ enough without
a penny--always has the odds of us, if she hasn’t a farden; but
when jined to everything else, she comes among us with millions o’
money--why, it isn’t fair love-making; no, it’s nothing short of
manslaughter.
_Slowgoe._ How _did_ Louis Philippe overlook her? Why, the Infanta
hasn’t got above a fourth of the sum--only a million.
_Mrs Nutts._ Poor little thing! And nicely that brute her father-in-law
will snub her for it now, I daresay. A wife, and only fourteen too!
Well, if she’d been my daughter--but I’ll say nothing. Only as a
married woman I _will_ say this, she’s begun her troubles early enough.
_Nutts._ Well, who knows?--she may the sooner get through ’em.
_Mrs Nutts._ Nutts--but I won’t tell you _what_ you are, now.
_Slowgoe._ Lord Normandy, I see, as ’Bassador for England, didn’t pay
his public compliments to the happy pair; and the Funds, I see, went
down because.
_Nosebag._ Why, no; but his Lordship went afterwards in private and
took tea and muffins with ’em, and upon that the Funds riz like a
rocket.
_Peabody._ The _Times_ says that Louis Philippe has retained Lord
Brougham to plead his cause in the House of Lords. M. Guizot, they say,
has loaded him with all the papers--rammed him down like a piece of
brass ordnance with all sorts of wadding--and, there’s no doubt of it,
he’ll go off with a considerable bang.
_Tickle._ No doubt on it; and just as sailors do when they board--get
the better of their lordships in the smoke. Wonder what fee Lewis
Philip’s to give Brougham for the job? for, being a lawyer, he can’t
work for nothing.
_Peabody._ Why, they do say it’s to be made up to his Lordship somehow
in his arms. He’s to be allowed to quarter every boar he kills at
Cannes, and put him upon his coach panels; and further, he and his
heirs for ever and ever are to be permitted to land anywhere in France,
and not to have their pockets rummaged inside out by customhouse
officers. It’s further said that Lord Brougham intends to plead the
King of the French’s cause in French, that his Lordship may seem to be
as little of an Englishman in the matter as possible.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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