The Further Adventures of Mr. Verdant Green, an Oxford Under-Graduate: Being a Continuation of "The Adventures of Mr. Verdant Green, an Oxford Freshman"Bede, Cuthbert
History
The Further Adventures of Mr. Verdant Green, an Oxford Under-Graduate: Being a Continuation of "The Adventures of Mr. Verdant Green, an Oxford Freshman"
Bede, Cuthbert
University of Oxford -- Fiction
When Miss Waters has discharged all her fireworks, and has descended
from the throne of her music-stool, a set of Lancers is formed; and,
while the usual mistakes are being made in the figures, the dancers
find a fruitful subject of conversation in surmises that a charade
is going to be acted. The surmise proves to be correct; for when
the set has been brought to an end with that peculiar in-and-out
tum-tum-tiddle-iddle-tum-tum-tum movement which characterises the last
figure of _Les Lanciers_, the trippers on the light fantastic toe are
requested to assemble in the drawing-room, where the chairs and couches
have been pulled up to face the folding doors that lead into the
library. Mr. Verdant Green appears; and, after announcing that the word
to be acted will be one of three syllables, and that each syllable will
be represented by itself, and that then the complete word will be given,
throws open the folding doors for
SCENE I. _Syllable_ 1.--Enter the Miss Honeywoods, dressed in
fashionable bonnets and shawls. They are shown in by a footman (Mr.
Bouncer) attired in a peculiarly ingenious and effective livery, made by
pulling up the trousers to the knee, and wearing the dress-coat inside
out, so as to display the crimson silk linings of the sleeves: the
effect of Mr. Bouncer's appearance is considerably heightened by a
judicious outlay of flour sprinkled over his hair. Mr. Bouncer (as
footman) gives the ladies chairs, and inquires, "What name shall I be
pleased to say, mem?" Miss Patty answers in a languid and fashionable
voice, "The Ladies Louisa and Arabella Mountfidget." Mr. Bouncer
evaporates with a low bow, leaving the ladies to play with their
parasols, and converse. Lady Arabella (Miss Patty) then expresses a
devout wish that Lady Trotter (wife of Sir Lambkin Trotter, Bart.), in
whose house they are supposed to be, will not keep them waiting as long
as she detained her aunt, Lady Bellwether, when the poor old lady fell
asleep from sheer fatigue, and was found snoring on the sofa. Lady
Louisa then falls to an inspection of the card-tray, and reads the
paste-boards of some high-sounding titles not to be found in Debrett,
and expresses wonder as to where Lady Trotter can have picked up the
Duchess of Ditchwater's card, as she (Lady Louisa) is morally convinced
that her Grace can never have condescended to have even sent in her card
by a footman. Becoming impatient at the non-appearance of Lady Trotter,
Miss Patty Honeywood then rings the bell, and, with much asperity of
manner, inquires of Mr. Bouncer (as footman) if Lady Trotter is informed
that the Ladies Louisa and Arabella Mountfidget are waiting to see her?
Mr. Bouncer replies, with a footman's bow, and a footman's
_h_exasperation of his h's, "Me lady is hawcer hof your ladyships'
visit; but me lady is at present hunable to happear: me lady, 'owever,
has give me a message, which she hasks me to deliver to your ladyships."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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