FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39  
40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   >>   >|  
rrant with a very lively fear." "Why, when did you make his acquaintance?" said the Count. "Is it possible you never heard of Boyle's committal?" said O'Malley. "You surely must have been abroad at the time. But it's not too late to tell it yet." "Well, it's about two years since old Townsend brought in his Enlistment Bill, and the whole country was scoured for all our voters, who were scattered here and there, never anticipating another call of the House, and supposing that the session was just over. Among others, up came our friend Harry, here, and the night he arrived they made him a 'Monk of the Screw,' and very soon made him forget his senatorial dignities. On the evening after his reaching town, the bill was brought in, and at two in the morning the division took place,--a vote was of too much consequence not to look after it closely,--and a Castle messenger was in waiting in Exchequer Street, who, when the debate was closing, put Harry, with three others, into a coach, and brought them down to the House. Unfortunately, however, they mistook their friends, voted against the bill, and amidst the loudest cheering of the opposition, the government party were defeated. The rage of the ministers knew no bounds, and looks of defiance and even threats were exchanged between the ministers and the deserters. Amidst all this poor Harry fell fast asleep and dreamed that he was once more in Exchequer Street, presiding among the monks, and mixing another tumbler. At length he awoke and looked about him. The clerk was just at the instant reading out, in his usual routine manner, a clause of the new bill, and the remainder of the House was in dead silence. Harry looked again around on every side, wondering where was the hot water, and what had become of the whiskey bottle, and above all, why the company were so extremely dull and ungenial. At length, with a half-shake, he roused up a little, and giving a look of unequivocal contempt on every side, called out, 'Upon my soul, you're pleasant companions; but I'll give you a chant to enliven you!' So saying, he cleared his throat with a couple of short coughs, and struck up, with the voice of a Stentor, the following verse of a popular ballad:-- 'And they nibbled away, both night and day, Like mice in a round of Glo'ster; Great rogues they were all, both great and small, From Flood to Leslie Foster. Great rogues all. Chorus, boys!' If he was
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39  
40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

brought

 
Street
 

Exchequer

 
looked
 

ministers

 

rogues

 
length
 

company

 

extremely

 

whiskey


bottle

 
clause
 

presiding

 

mixing

 

tumbler

 

asleep

 

dreamed

 
remainder
 

silence

 

manner


instant

 

reading

 

routine

 

wondering

 

ballad

 
nibbled
 
popular
 

struck

 
coughs
 

Stentor


Foster
 

Leslie

 

Chorus

 

couple

 
called
 

contempt

 

unequivocal

 

giving

 
ungenial
 

roused


pleasant

 
enliven
 

cleared

 

throat

 

companions

 
friends
 

country

 
scoured
 

voters

 

Enlistment