The Comic Almanack, Volume 1: An Ephemeris in Jest and Earnest, Containing Merry Tales, Humerous Poetry, Quips, and OdditiesThackeray, William Makepeace
Philosophy
The Comic Almanack, Volume 1: An Ephemeris in Jest and Earnest, Containing Merry Tales, Humerous Poetry, Quips, and Oddities
Thackeray, William Makepeace
Almanacs, English -- England -- London; English wit and humor
and so on; he possessed all the virtues, and wrote to us every month for
money. My dear Jemmy and I determined to go and see him, after he had
been at school a quarter; we went, and were shown by Mr. Coddler, one of
the meekest, smilingest little men I ever saw, into the bed-rooms and
eating rooms (the dromitaries and refractories he called them), which
were all as comfortable as comfortable might be. "It is a holiday
to-day," said Mr. Coddler; and a holiday it seemed to be. In the
dining-room were half a dozen young gentlemen playing at cards ("all
tip-top nobility," observed Mr. Coddler);—in the bed-rooms there was
only one gent; he was lying on his bed, reading a novel and smoking
cigars. "Extraordinary genius!" whispered Coddler; "Honourable Tom
Fitz-Warter, cousin of Lord Byron's; smokes all day; and has written the
_sweetest_ poems you can imagine. Genius, my dear madam, you know,
genius must have its way." "Well, _upon_ my word," says Jemmy, "if
that's genus, I had rather that Master Tuggeridge Coxe Tuggeridge
remained a dull fellow."
"Impossible, my dear madam." said Coddler. "Mr. Tuggeridge Coxe
_couldn't_ be stupid if he _tried_."
Just then up comes Lord Claude Lollypop, third son of the Marquis of
Allycompane. We were introduced instantly, "Lord Claude Lollypop, Mr.
and Mrs. Coxe:" the little lord wagged his head, my wife bowed very low,
and so did Mr. Coddler, who, as he saw my lord making for the
play-ground, begged him to show us the way.—"Come along," says my lord;
and as he walked before us, whistling, we had leisure to remark the
beautiful holes in his jacket and elsewhere.
About twenty young noblemen (and gentlemen) were gathered round a
pastrycook's shop, at the end of the green. "That's the grub-shop," said
my lord, "where we young gentlemen wot has money buys our wittles, and
them young gentlemen wot has none, goes tick."
Then he passed a poor red-haired usher, sitting on a bench alone.
"That's Mr. Hicks, the Husher, ma'am," says my lord, "we keep him, for
he's very useful to throw stones at, and he keeps the chaps' coats when
there's a fight, or a game at cricket.—Well, Hicks, how's your mother?
what's the row now?" "I believe, my lord," said the usher, very meekly,
"there is a pugilistic encounter somewhere on the premises—the
Honourable Mr. Mac——"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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