The Lazy Tour of Two Idle ApprenticesDickens, Charles
General
The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices
Dickens, Charles
Apprentices -- Fiction; Cumbria (England) -- Description and travel -- Fiction; Walking -- England -- Cumbria -- Fiction
thing of any kind, than the stupidest Bosjesman. The thing is but a boy
in years, and is addled with drink. To do its company justice, even its
company is ashamed of it, as it drawls its slang criticisms on the
representation, and inflames Mr. Goodchild with a burning ardour to fling
it into the pit. Its remarks are so horrible, that Mr. Goodchild, for
the moment, even doubts whether that _is_ a wholesome Art, which sets
women apart on a high floor before such a thing as this, though as good
as its own sisters, or its own mother—whom Heaven forgive for bringing it
into the world! But, the consideration that a low nature must make a low
world of its own to live in, whatever the real materials, or it could no
more exist than any of us could without the sense of touch, brings Mr.
Goodchild to reason: the rather, because the thing soon drops its downy
chin upon its scarf, and slobbers itself asleep.
Friday Morning. Early fights. Gong-donkey, and correct cards. Again, a
great set towards the races, though not so great a set as on Wednesday.
Much packing going on too, upstairs at the gun-smith’s, the
wax-chandler’s, and the serious stationer’s; for there will be a heavy
drift of Lunatics and Keepers to London by the afternoon train. The
course as pretty as ever; the great pincushion as like a pincushion, but
not nearly so full of pins; whole rows of pins wanting. On the great
event of the day, both Lunatics and Keepers become inspired with rage;
and there is a violent scuffling, and a rushing at the losing jockey, and
an emergence of the said jockey from a swaying and menacing crowd,
protected by friends, and looking the worse for wear; which is a rough
proceeding, though animating to see from a pleasant distance. After the
great event, rills begin to flow from the pincushion towards the
railroad; the rills swell into rivers; the rivers soon unite into a lake.
The lake floats Mr. Goodchild into Doncaster, past the Itinerant
personage in black, by the way-side telling him from the vantage ground
of a legibly printed placard on a pole that for all these things the Lord
will bring him to judgment. No turtle and venison ordinary this evening;
that is all over. No Betting at the rooms; nothing there but the plants
in pots, which have, all the week, been stood about the entry to give it
an innocent appearance, and which have sorely sickened by this time.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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