om Barnes or Norwood--EGLANTINE dealing in
husbands of every variety and at the shortest notice--and, giving ear to
the prophetic gypsey, gives her at the same time an opportunity to draw
into her Maelstrom pocket or wallet certain silver spoons, afterwards
identified by MR. POTTS--his own initials lovingly intertwining with the
initials of MRS. POTTS, with the family crest of a rampant lion licking
his tongue at posterity indubitably marking them as his property--
When, we say, SUSAN weeps and knocks her knees together, in a paroxysm
of terror before the worthy and respected MR. SIXMUNCE--and the
indomitable EGLANTINE looks callously innocent, calling all the stars to
witness that "the gal giv her the spoons as her own goods and nobody's
else's--"
When SUSAN is confronted with this alleged fact--the respectable part of
society of which MR. and MRS. POTTS are such very distinguished members,
shakes its head, and wonders how ignorance at eight pounds a year, tea
and sugar included, can be such a fool as to believe in a gypsey!
However, the benevolent MR. SIXMUNCE commits EGLANTINE to
Tothill-Fields, and--with one of those paternal remonstrances that have
won for him the proud designation of the Father of the Bench--dismisses
the grateful SUSAN to her kitchen, MR. and MRS. POTTS, with a sudden
benevolence, which causes them some after astonishment and
self-congratulation on their goodness, consenting to give the creature
another trial.
Now at the very time that SUSAN was opening her homely hand, that gypsey
EGLANTINE might read in its hard page the marriage lines of the hopeful
maiden (who is to give sixpence at most for the glad tidings; the spoons
being purely an after-thought of the gypsey's own)--at the very time
MRS. POTTS in her parlour is reading _Raphael's Prophetic Messenger_;
for the which she--the educated, finished MRS. POTTS; for was she not
beautifully finished at Athens House, Wandsworth?--for the which she
has, in the best faith and best current silver, disbursed
two-and-sixpence! Ignorance crieth out in the streets, and everybody
gives ear to her. Our _Messenger_ has, to be sure, a more winning
introduction than even the smiles and musical cajolery of EGLANTINE
PRIGDUCK. For it has a beautiful picture in which the events of 1854 are
brought out in bold red, and blue, and orange-tawney. LOUIS NAPLOLEON is
engaged chatting with BRITANNIA--(who is asking him to run across and
take a cup of tea in Londo
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