The Relics of General Chasse: A Tale of AntwerpTrollope, Anthony
General
The Relics of General Chasse: A Tale of Antwerp
Trollope, Anthony
British -- Belgium -- Fiction; Clergy -- Fiction; Humorous stories; Short stories
mother in whose arms he had been nurtured had taken care that he should
never want—I need hardly say that I was blessed with a very pleasant
travelling companion.
I must mention one more interesting particular. Mr. Horne was rather
inclined to dandyism, in an innocent way. His clerical starched
neckcloth was always of the whitest, his cambric handkerchief of the
finest, his bands adorned with the broadest border; his sable suit never
degenerated to a rusty brown; it not only gave on all occasions glossy
evidence of freshness, but also of the talent which the artisan had
displayed in turning out a well-dressed clergyman of the Church of
England. His hair was ever brushed with scrupulous attention, and showed
in its regular waves the guardian care of each separate bristle. And all
this was done with that ease and grace which should be the
characteristics of a dignitary of the established English Church.
I had accompanied Mr. Horne to the Rhine; and we had reached Brussels on
our return, just at the close of that revolution which ended in affording
a throne to the son-in-law of George the Fourth. At that moment General
Chassé’s name and fame were in every man’s mouth, and, like other curious
admirers of the brave, Mr. Horne determined to devote two days to the
scene of the late events at Antwerp. Antwerp, moreover, possesses
perhaps the finest spire, and certainly one of the three or four finest
pictures, in the world. Of General Chassé, of the cathedral, and of the
Rubens, I had heard much, and was therefore well pleased that such should
be his resolution. This accomplished we were to return to Brussels; and
thence, via Ghent, Ostend, and Dover, I to complete my legal studies in
London, and Mr. Horne to enjoy once more the peaceful retirement of
Ollerton rectory. As we were to be absent from Brussels but one night we
were enabled to indulge in the gratification of travelling without our
luggage. A small sac-de-nuit was prepared; brushes, combs, razors,
strops, a change of linen, &c. &c., were carefully put up; but our heavy
baggage, our coats, waistcoats, and other wearing apparel were
unnecessary. It was delightful to feel oneself so light-handed. The
reverend gentleman, with my humble self by his side, left the portal of
the Hôtel de Belle Vue at 7 a.m., in good humour with all the world.
There were no railroads in those days; but a cabriolet, big enough to
hold six persons, with rope traces and corresponding appendages,
deposited us at the Golden Fleece in something less than six hours. The
inward man was duly fortified, and we started for the castle.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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