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Burlesques William Makepeace Thackeray

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110<br />

and jest as I came back for my baysn of soop, the beast of a bell rings, the whizzling injians<br />

proclayms the time of our departure,—& farewell soop and cottn velvet. Mary Hann was<br />

sulky. She said it was my losing the umberella. If it had been a COTTON VELVET<br />

UMBERELLA I could have understood. James Hangelo sittn on my knee was evidently<br />

unwell; without his coral: & for 20 miles that blessid babby kep up a rawring, which caused<br />

all the passingers to simpithize with him igseedingly.<br />

"We arrive at Gloster, and there fansy my disgust at bein ableeged to undergo another<br />

change of carridges! Fansy me holding up moughs, tippits, cloaks, and baskits, and James<br />

Hangelo rawring still like mad, and pretending to shuperintend the carrying over of our<br />

luggage from the broad gage to the narrow gage. 'Mary Hann,' says I, rot to desperation, 'I<br />

shall throttle this darling if he goes on.' 'Do,' says she—'and GO INTO THE<br />

REFRESHMENT room,' says she—a snatchin the babby out of my arms. Do go,' says she,<br />

youre not fit to look after luggage,' and she began lulling James Hangelo to sleep with one<br />

hi, while she looked after the packets with the other. Now, Sir! if you please, mind that<br />

packet!—pretty darling—easy with that box, Sir, its glass—pooooty poppet—where's the<br />

deal case, marked arrowroot, No. 24?' she cried, reading out of a list she had.—And poor<br />

little James went to sleep. The porters were bundling and carting the various harticles with<br />

no more ceremony than if each package had been of cannonball.<br />

"At last—bang goes a package marked 'Glass,' and containing the Chayny bowl and Lady<br />

Bareacres' mixture, into a large white bandbox, with a crash and a smash. 'It's My Lady's<br />

box from Crinoline's!' cries Mary Hann; and she puts down the child on the bench, and<br />

rushes forward to inspect the dammidge. You could hear the Chayny bowls clinking inside;<br />

and Lady B.'s mixture (which had the igsack smell of cherry brandy) was dribbling out over<br />

the smashed bandbox containing a white child's cloak, trimmed with Blown lace and lined<br />

with white satting.<br />

"As James was asleep, and I was by this time uncommon hungry, I thought I WOULD go<br />

into the Refreshment Room and just take a little soup; so I wrapped him up in his cloak and<br />

laid him by his mamma, and went off. There's not near such good attendance as at<br />

Swindon.<br />

"We took our places in the carriage in the dark, both of us covered with a pile of packages,<br />

and Mary Hann so sulky that she would not speak for some minutes. At last she spoke<br />

out—<br />

"'Have you all the small parcels?'

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