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
“Oh, why,” screeched she, “why did I ever leave a genteel famly, where
I ad every ellygance and lucksry, to marry a creatur like this? He is
unfit to be called a man, he is unworthy to marry a gentlewoman; and as
for that hussy, I disown her. Thank heaven she an't a Slamcoe; she is
only fit to be a Shum!”
“That's true, mamma,” said all the gals; for their mother had taught
them this pretty piece of manners, and they despised their father
heartily: indeed, I have always remarked that, in famlies where the wife
is internally talking about the merits of her branch, the husband is
invariably a spooney.
Well, when she was exosted again, down she fell on the sofy, at her old
trix--more screeching--more convulshuns: and she wouldn't stop, this
time, till Shum had got her half a pint of her old remedy, from the
“Blue Lion” over the way. She grew more easy as she finished the gin;
but Mary was sent out of the room, and told not to come back agin all
day.
“Miss Mary,” says I,--for my heart yurned to the poor gal, as she came
sobbing and miserable down stairs: “Miss Mary,” says I, “if I might make
so bold, here's master's room empty, and I know where the cold bif and
pickles is.” “Oh, Charles!” said she, nodding her head sadly, “I'm too
retched to have any happytite.” And she flung herself on a chair, and
began to cry fit to bust.
At this moment who should come in but my master. I had taken hold of
Miss Mary's hand, somehow, and do believe I should have kist it, when,
as I said, Haltamont made his appearance. “What's this?” cries he,
lookin at me as black as thunder, or as Mr. Phillips as Hickit, in the
new tragedy of MacBuff.
“It's only Miss Mary, sir,” answered I.
“Get out, sir,” says he, as fierce as posbil; and I felt somethink (I
think it was the tip of his to) touching me behind, and found myself,
nex minit, sprawling among the wet flannings and buckets and things.
The people from up stairs came to see what was the matter, as I was
cussin and crying out. “It's only Charles, ma,” screamed out Miss Betsy.
“Where's Mary?” says Mrs. Shum, from the sofy.
“She's in Master's room, miss,” said I.
“She's in the lodger's room, ma,” cries Miss Shum, heckoing me.
“Very good; tell her to stay there till he comes back.” And then Miss
Shum went bouncing up the stairs again, little knowing of Haltamont's
return.
. . . . . .
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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