of the Miss Tauntons, who could
only manage a harp. On the eventful day of 'The Steam Excursion'
(_S.B._) the three sisters brought their instruments, carefully
packed up in dark green cases,

which were carefully stowed away in the bottom of the
boat, accompanied by two immense portfolios of music,
which it would take at least a week's incessant playing
to get through.

At a subsequent stage of the proceedings they were asked to
play, and after replacing a broken string, and a vast deal of
screwing and tightening, they gave 'a new Spanish composition,
for three voices and three guitars,' and secured an encore,
thus completely overwhelming their rivals. In the account of
the _French Watering-Place_ (_R.P._) we read about a guitar
on the pier, 'to which a boy or woman sings without any voice
little songs without any tune.'

On one of his night excursions in the guise of an 'Uncommercial
Traveller' Dickens discovered a stranded Spaniard, named
Antonio. In response to a general invitation 'the swarthy youth'
takes up his cracked guitar and gives them the 'feeblest ghost
of a tune,' while the inmates of the miserable den kept time
with their heads.

Dora used to delight David Copperfield by singing enchanting
ballads in the French language and accompanying herself 'on a
glorified instrument, resembling a guitar,' though subsequent
references show it was that instrument and none other.

We read in _Little Dorrit_ that Young John Chivery wore
'pantaloons so highly decorated with side stripes, that each
leg was a three-stringed lute.' This appears to be the only
reference to this instrument, and a lute of three strings is the
novelist's own conception, the usual number being about nine.

[9] Or, 'Mix it up and make it nice.'

[10] _The Public Life of Mr. Tulrumble_, 1837.

CHAPTER IV

VARIOUS INSTRUMENTS (continued)

Many musical instruments and terms are mentioned by way of
illustration. Blathers, the Bow Street officer (_O.T._),
plays carelessly with his handcuffs as if they were a pair of
castanets. Miss Miggs (_B.R._) clanks her pattens as if they
were a pair of cymbals. Mr. Bounderby (_H.T._), during his
conversation with Harthouse,

with his hat in his hand, gave a beat upon the crown
at every division of his sentences, as if it were
a tambourine;

and in the same work the electric wires rule 'a colossal strip
of music-paper out of the evening sky.'

Perhaps t