FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152  
153   154   155   156   157   158   159   >>  
more than two hours after the leddies have laft ye: if ye want to get drunk, ye'll just dine at the mass.' So ye see, Mestress Barry, what was Mac's allowance--haw, haw! Mester Whey, I'll trouble ye for the o-lives." But although we were in a clear majority, that indomitable woman, Mrs. Berry, determined to make us all as uneasy as possible, and would take the votes all round. Poor Jack, of course, sided with her, and Whey said he loved a cup of tea and a little music better than all the wine of Bordeaux. As for the Frenchman, when Mrs. Berry said, "And what do you think, M. le Vicomte?" "Vat you speak?" said M. de Blagueval, breaking silence for the first time during two hours. "Yase--eh? to me you speak?" "Apry deeny, aimy-voo ally avec les dam?" "Comment avec les dames?" "Ally avec les dam com a Parry, ou resty avec les Messew com on Onglyterre?" "Ah, madame! vous me le demandez?" cries the little wretch, starting up in a theatrical way, and putting out his hand, which Mrs. Berry took, and with this the ladies left the room. Old Lady Pash trotted after her niece with her hand in Whey's, very much wondering at such practices, which were not in the least in vogue in the reign of George III. Mrs. Berry cast a glance of triumph at her husband, at the defection; and Berry was evidently annoyed that three-eighths of his male forces had left him. But fancy our delight and astonishment, when in a minute they all three came back again; the Frenchman looking entirely astonished, and the parson and the painter both very queer. The fact is, old downright Lady Pash, who had never been in Paris in her life before, and had no notion of being deprived of her usual hour's respite and nap, said at once to Mrs. Berry, "My dear Angelica, you're surely not going to keep these three men here? Send them back to the dining-room, for I've a thousand things to say to you." And Angelica, who expects to inherit her aunt's property, of course did as she was bid; on which the old lady fell into an easy chair, and fell asleep immediately,--so soon, that is, as the shout caused by the reappearance of the three gentlemen in the dining-room had subsided. I had meanwhile had some private conversation with little Cutler regarding the character of Mrs. Berry. "She's a regular screw," whispered he; "a regular Tartar. Berry shows fight, though, sometimes, and I've known him have his own way for a week together. After dinner he is his
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152  
153   154   155   156   157   158   159   >>  



Top keywords:
regular
 

Frenchman

 

dining

 

Angelica

 

deprived

 
notion
 
respite
 

surely

 
Mester
 

minute


astonishment

 

delight

 
astonished
 

trouble

 
downright
 

parson

 
painter
 
allowance
 

Cutler

 

conversation


character

 

private

 

reappearance

 

gentlemen

 

subsided

 

whispered

 

dinner

 

Tartar

 

caused

 

inherit


property

 
expects
 

Mestress

 

thousand

 

things

 
immediately
 

asleep

 
silence
 

breaking

 
Blagueval

Comment
 

determined

 
Vicomte
 
leddies
 

uneasy

 

Bordeaux

 
practices
 

wondering

 
trotted
 

George