FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   484   485   486   487   488   489   490   491   492   493   494   495   496   497   498   499   500   501   502   503   504   505   506   507   508  
509   510   511   512   513   514   515   516   517   >>  
periods--an expression of his--in the manner I do. 'After I had been three years at this place my mistress died. Her death, however, made no great alteration in my way of living, the family spending their winters in London, and their summers at their old seat in S--- as before. At last, the young ladies, who had not yet got husbands, which was strange enough, seeing, as I told you before, they were very amiable, proposed to our governor a travelling expedition abroad. The old baronet consented, though young master was much against it, saying they would all be much better at home. As the girls persisted, however, he at last withdrew his opposition, and even promised to follow them as soon as his parliamentary duties would permit; for he was just got into Parliament, and, like most other young members, thought that nothing could be done in the House without him. So the old gentleman and the two young ladies set off, taking me with them, and a couple of ladies' maids to wait upon them. First of all, we went to Paris, where we continued three months, the old baronet and the ladies going to see the various sights of the city, and the neighbourhood, and I attending them. They soon got tired of sight-seeing, and of Paris too; and so did I. However, they still continued there, in order, I believe, that the young ladies might lay in a store of French finery. I should have passed my idle time at Paris, of which I had plenty after the sight-seeing was over, very unpleasantly, but for Black Jack. Eh! did you never hear of Black Jack? Ah! if you had ever been an English servant in Paris, you would have known Black Jack; not an English gentleman's servant who has been at Paris for this last ten years but knows Black Jack and his ordinary. A strange fellow he was--of what country no one could exactly say--for as for judging from speech, that was impossible, Jack speaking all languages equally ill. Some said he came direct from Satan's kitchen, and that when he gives up keeping ordinary, he will return there again, though the generally-received opinion at Paris was, that he was at one time butler to King Pharaoh; and that, after lying asleep for four thousand years in a place called the Kattycombs, he was awaked by the sound of Nelson's cannon at the battle of the Nile, and going to the shore, took on with the admiral, and became, in course of time, ship steward; and that after Nelson's death he was captured by the French,
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   484   485   486   487   488   489   490   491   492   493   494   495   496   497   498   499   500   501   502   503   504   505   506   507   508  
509   510   511   512   513   514   515   516   517   >>  



Top keywords:

ladies

 

strange

 

English

 

ordinary

 

servant

 

gentleman

 
baronet
 
French
 

Nelson

 

continued


unpleasantly

 
country
 

fellow

 

plenty

 
passed
 

finery

 

called

 
thousand
 

Kattycombs

 

awaked


asleep

 

butler

 

Pharaoh

 
cannon
 

battle

 
steward
 

captured

 

admiral

 

opinion

 

received


equally

 

languages

 

speaking

 

judging

 

speech

 

impossible

 

direct

 

return

 

generally

 

keeping


kitchen
 

governor

 

travelling

 

expedition

 

abroad

 

proposed

 

amiable

 

consented

 

persisted

 

master