The Cornhill Magazine (Vol. I, No. 3, March 1860)Various
History
The Cornhill Magazine (Vol. I, No. 3, March 1860)
Various
England -- Periodicals; English literature -- Periodicals; Short stories, English -- Periodicals
Mixed up among the beggars, among the costermongers and hucksters who
lounge or brawl on the pavement, undeterred by fear of barrow-impounding
policemen; among the varlets who have “young lambs to sell”—they have
sold those sweet cakes since Elizabeth’s time;—among the descendants
and progenitors of hundreds of “Tiddy Dolls,” and “Colly Molly Puffs;”
among bailiffs prowling for their prey, and ruffian cheats and
gamesters from the back-waters of Covent Garden; among the fellows
with hares-and-tabors, the matchsellers, the masksellers—for in this
inconceivable period ladies and gentlemen wanted vizors at twelve o’clock
at noon—be it admitted, nevertheless, that the real “quality” ceased
to wear them about the end of William’s reign—among the tradesmen,
wigs awry, and apron-girt, darting out from their shops to swallow
their matutinal pint of wine, or dram of strong waters; among all this
_tohu-bohu_, this Galimatias of small industries and small vices,
chairmen come swaggering and jolting along with the gilded sedans between
poles; and lo! the periwigged, Mechlin-laced, gold-embroidered beau hands
out Belinda, radiant, charming, powdered, patched, fanned, perfumed, who
is come to Cranbourn Alley to choose new diamonds. And more beaux’ shins
are wounded by more whalebone petticoats, and Sir Fopling Flutter treads
on Aramanta’s brocaded _queue_; and the heavens above are almost shut out
by the great projecting, clattering signs. Conspicuous among them is the
“Golden Angel,” kept by Ellis Gamble.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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