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Burlesques William Makepeace Thackeray

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53<br />

counter or the chestis, indulging in their fav'rit whead, the rich and spisy Pickwhick, the<br />

ripe Manilly, or the flagrant and arheumatic Qby.<br />

"These Divanns are, as is very well known, the knightly resott of the young Henglish<br />

nobillaty. It is ear a young Pier, after an arjus day at the House of Commons, solazes<br />

himself with a glas of gin-and-water (the national beveridge), with cheerful conversation on<br />

the ewents of the day, or with an armless gaym of baggytell in the back-parlor."<br />

So wrote at least our friend Jools to his newspaper, the Horriflam; and of this back-parlor<br />

and baggytell-bord, of this counter, of this "Constantinople" Divan, he became almost as<br />

reglar a frequenter as the plaster of Parish Turk who sits smoking a hookey between the two<br />

blue coffee-cups in the winder.<br />

I have oftin, smokin my own shroot in silents in a corner of the Diwann, listened to Jools<br />

and his friends inwaying aginst Hingland, and boastin of their own immortial country. How<br />

they did go on about Wellintun, and what an arty contamp they ad for him!—how they used<br />

to prove that France was the Light, the Scenter-pint, the Igsample and hadmiration of the<br />

whole world! And though I scarcely take a French paper now-a-days (I lived in early days<br />

as groom in a French famly three years, and therefore knows the languidg), though, I say,<br />

you can't take up Jools's paper, the Orriflam, without readin that a minister has committed<br />

bribery and perjury, or that a littery man has committed perjury and murder, or that a Duke<br />

has stabbed his wife in fifty places, or some story equally horrible; yet for all that it's<br />

admiral to see how the French gents will swagger—how they will be the scenters of<br />

civilization—how they will be the Igsamples of Europ, and nothink shall prevent 'em—<br />

knowing they will have it, I say I listen, smokin my pip in silence. But to our tail.<br />

Reglar every evening there came to the "Constantanople" a young gent etired in the igth of<br />

fashn; and indead presenting by the cleanlyness of his appearants and linning (which was<br />

generally a pink or blew shurt, with a cricketer or a dansuse pattern) rather a contrast to the<br />

dinjy and whistkcard sosaity of the Diwann. As for wiskars, this young mann had none<br />

beyond a little yallow tought to his chin, which you woodn notas, only he was always<br />

pulling at it. His statue was diminnative, but his coschume supubb, for he had the tippiest<br />

Jane boots, the ivoryheadest canes, the most gawjus scarlick Jonville ties, and the most<br />

Scotch-plaidest trowseys, of any customer of that establishment. He was univusaly called<br />

Milord.<br />

"Que est ce jeune seigneur? Who is this young hurl who comes knightly to the<br />

'Constantanople,' who is so proddigl of his gold (for indeed the young gent would frequinly<br />

propoase gininwater to the company), and who drinks so much gin?" asked Munseer<br />

Chacabac of a friend from the "Hotel de l'Ail."

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