The Memoirs of Mr. Charles J. YellowplushThackeray, William Makepeace
General
The Memoirs of Mr. Charles J. Yellowplush
Thackeray, William Makepeace
Didactic fiction; England -- Fiction; Household employees -- Fiction; Humorous stories; Master and servant -- Fiction
When A. came in, the mother and daughter stopped all of a sudding. There
had been one or two tiffs before between them, and they feared him as if
he had been a hogre.
“What's this infernal screeching and crying about?” says he. “Oh, Mr.
Altamont,” cries the old woman, “you know too well; it's about you that
this darling child is misrabble!”
“And why about me, pray, madam?”
“Why, sir, dare you ask why? Because you deceive her, sir; because you
are a false, cowardly traitor, sir; because YOU HAVE A WIFE ELSEWHERE,
SIR!” And the old lady and Miss Betsy began to roar again as loud as
ever.
Altamont pawsed for a minnit, and then flung the door wide open; nex he
seized Miss Betsy as if his hand were a vice, and he world her out of
the room; then up he goes to Mrs. S. “Get up,” says he, thundering loud,
“you lazy, trolloping, mischsef-making, lying old fool! Get up, and get
out of this house. You have been the cuss and bain of my happyniss
since you entered it. With your d----d lies, and novvle rending, and
histerrix, you have perwerted Mary, and made her almost as mad as
yourself.”
“My child! my child!” shriex out Mrs. Shum, and clings round missis. But
Altamont ran between them, and griping the old lady by her arm, dragged
her to the door. “Follow your daughter, ma'm,” says he, and down she
went. “CHAWLS, SEE THOSE LADIES TO THE DOOR,” he hollows out, “and never
let them pass it again.” We walked down together, and off they went: and
master locked and double-locked the bedroom door after him, intendin,
of course, to have a tator-tator (as they say) with his wife. You may be
sure that I followed up stairs again pretty quick, to hear the result of
their confidence.
As they say at St. Stevenses, it was rayther a stormy debate. “Mary,”
says master, “you're no longer the merry greatful gal I knew and loved
at Pentonwill: there's some secret a pressin on you--there's no
smilin welcom for me now, as there used formly to be! Your mother and
sister-in-law have perwerted you, Mary: and that's why I've drove them
from this house, which they shall not re-enter in my life.”
“O, Frederic! it's YOU is the cause, and not I. Why do you have any
mistry from me? Where do you spend your days? Why did you leave me,
even on the day of your marridge, for eight hours, and continue to do so
every day?”
“Because,” says he, “I makes my livelihood by it. I leave you, and don't
tell you HOW I make it: for it would make you none the happier to know.”
It was in this way the convysation ren on--more tears and questions on
my missises part, more sturmness and silence on my master's: it ended
for the first time since their marridge, in a reglar quarrel. Wery
difrent, I can tell you, from all the hammerous billing and kewing which
had proceeded their nupshuls.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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