The Newcomes: Memoirs of a Most Respectable FamilyThackeray, William Makepeace
General
The Newcomes: Memoirs of a Most Respectable Family
Thackeray, William Makepeace
Domestic fiction; Families -- England -- Fiction
profit amongst the lads. His pockets were never without pencil-cases,
French chalk, garnet brooches, for which he was willing to bargain. He
behaved very rudely to Gandish, who seemed to be afraid before him. It
was whispered that the Professor was not altogether easy in his
circumstances, and that the elder Moss had some mysterious hold over
him. Honeyman and Bayham, who once came to see Clive at the studio,
seemed each disturbed at beholding young Moss seated there (making a
copy of the Marsyas). “Pa knows both those gents,” he informed Clive
afterwards, with a wicked twinkle of his Oriental eyes. “Step in, Mr.
Newcome, any day you are passing down Wardour Street, and see if you
don’t want anything in our way.” (He pronounced the words in his own
way, saying: “Step id, _Bister_ Doocob, ady day idto Vordor Street,”
etc.) This young gentleman could get tickets for almost all the
theatres, which he gave or sold, and gave splendid accounts at
Cavendish’s of the brilliant masquerades. Clive was greatly diverted at
beholding Mr. Moss at one of these entertainments, dressed in a scarlet
coat and top-boots, and calling out, “Yoicks! Hark forward!” fitfully
to another Orientalist, his younger brother, attired like a midshipman.
Once Clive bought a half-dozen of theatre tickets from Mr. Moss, which
he distributed to the young fellows of the studio. But, when this nice
young man tried further to tempt him on the next day, “Mr. Moss,” Clive
said to him with much dignity, “I am very much obliged to you for your
offer, but when I go to the play, I prefer paying at the doors.”
Mr. Chivers used to sit in one corner of the room, occupied over a
lithographic stone. He was an uncouth and peevish young man; for ever
finding fault with the younger pupils, whose butt he was. Next in rank
and age was M’Collop, before named: and these two were at first more
than usually harsh and captious with Clive, whose prosperity offended
them, and whose dandified manners, free-and-easy ways, and evident
influence over the younger scholars, gave umbrage to these elderly
apprentices. Clive at first returned Mr. Chivers war for war,
controlment for controlment; but when he found Chivers was the son of a
helpless widow; that he maintained her by his lithographic vignettes
for the music-sellers, and by the scanty remuneration of some lessons
which he gave at a school at Highgate;—when Clive saw, or fancied he
saw, the lonely senior eyeing with hungry eyes the luncheons of cheese
and bread, and sweetstuff, which the young lads of the studio enjoyed,
I promise you Mr. Clive’s wrath against Chivers was speedily turned
into compassion and kindness, and he sought, and no doubt found, means
of feeding Chivers without offending his testy independence.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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