The Life and Letters of Maria Edgeworth, Volume 1Edgeworth, Maria
General
The Life and Letters of Maria Edgeworth, Volume 1
Edgeworth, Maria
Edgeworth, Maria, 1768-1849; Novelists, Irish -- 19th century -- Biography
Thursday morning, to our inexpressible joy, was fine, and the flag, the
signal that Sadler would ascend, was, to the joy of thousands, flying
from the top of Nelson's Pillar. Dressed quickly--breakfasted I don't
know how--job coach punctual: crowds in motion even at nine o'clock in
the streets: tide flowing all one way to Belvidere Gardens, lent by the
proprietor for the occasion: called at Sneyd's lodgings in Anne Street:
he and William gone: drove on; when we came near Belvidere such strings
of carriages, such crowds of people on the road and on the raised
footpath, there was no stirring: troops lined the road at each side:
guard with officers at each entrance to prevent mischief; but
unfortunately there were only two entrances, not nearly enough for such
a confluence of people. Most imprudently we and several others got out
of our carriages upon the raised footpath, in hopes of getting
immediately at the garden door, which was within two yards of us, but
nothing I ever felt was equal to the pressure of the crowd: they closed
over our little heads, I thought we must have been flattened, and the
breath squeezed out of our bodies. My father held Harriet fast, I behind
him held Fanny with such a grasp! and dragged her on with a force I did
not know I possessed. I really thought your children would never see you
again with all their bones whole, and I cannot tell you what I suffered
for ten minutes. My father, quite pale, calling with a stentor voice to
the sentinels. A fat woman nearly separated me from Fanny. My father
fairly kicked off the terrace a man who was intent upon nothing but an
odious bag of cakes which he held close to his breast, swearing and
pushing. Before us were Mrs. Smyley and Mr. Smyley, with a lady he was
protecting. Unable to protect anybody, he looked more frightened than if
he had lost a hundred causes: the lady continually saying, "Let me back!
let me back! if I could once get to my carriage!"
The tide carried us on to the door. An admirable Scotch officer, who was
mounting guard with a drawn sword, his face dropping perspiration,
exclaimed at the sight of Harriet, "Oh the child! take care of that
child! she will be crushed to death!" He made a soldier put his musket
across the doorway, so as to force a place for her to creep under: quick
as lightning in she darted, and Fanny and I and my father after her. All
was serene, uncrowded, and fresh within the park.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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