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burlesques-第7章

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do more for you; my lord; than thisI'm busy。  Good…by!〃  And

Rafael waved his hand to the peer; and fell to smoking his

narghilly。



A man with a square face; cat…like eyes; and a yellow moustache;

came next。  He had an hour…glass of a waist; and walked uneasily

upon his high…heeled boots。  〃Tell your master that he shall have

two millions more; but not another shilling;〃 Rafael said。  That

story about the five…and…twenty millions of ready money at

Cronstadt is all bosh。  They won't believe it in Europe。  You

understand me; Count Grogomoffski?〃



〃But his Imperial Majesty said four millions; and I shall get the

knout unless〃



〃Go and speak to Mr。 Shadrach; in room Z 94; the fourth court;〃

said Mendoza good…naturedly。  〃Leave me at peace; Count: don't you

see it is Friday; and almost sunset?〃  The Calmuck envoy retired

cringing; and left an odor of musk and candle…grease behind him。



An orange…man; an emissary from Lola Montes; a dealer in piping

bullfinches; and a Cardinal in disguise; with a proposal for a new

loan for the Pope; were heard by turns; and each; after a rapid

colloquy in his own language; was dismissed by Rafael。



〃The queen must come back from Aranjuez; or that king must be

disposed of;〃 Rafael exclaimed; as a yellow…faced amabassador from

Spain; General the Duke of Olla Podrida; left him。  〃Which shall it

be; my Codlingsby?〃  Codlingsby was about laughingly to answerfor

indeed he was amazed to find all the affairs of the world

represented here; and Holywell Street the centre of Europewhen

three knocks of a peculiar nature were heard; and Mendoza starting

up; said; 〃Ha! there are only four men in the world who know that

signal。〃  At once; and with a reverence quite distinct from his

former nonchalant manner; he advanced towards the new…comer。



He was an old manan old man evidently; too; of the Hebrew race

the light of his eyes was unfathomableabout his mouth there

played an inscrutable smile。  He had a cotton umbrella; and old

trousers; and old boots; and an old wig; curling at the top like a

rotten old pear。



He sat down; as if tired; in the first seat at hand; as Rafael made

him the lowest reverence。



〃I am tired;〃 says he; 〃I have come in fifteen hours。  I am ill at

Neuilly;〃 he added with a grin。  〃Get me some eau sucree; and tell

me the news; Prince de Mendoza。  These bread rows; this unpopularity

of Guizot; this odious Spanish conspiracy against my darling

Montpensier and daughter; this ferocity of Palmerston against

Coletti; makes me quite ill。  Give me your opinion; my dear duke。

But ha! whom have we here?〃



The august individual who had spoken; had used the Hebrew language

to address Mendoza; and the Lord Codlingsby might easily have

pleaded ignorance of that tongue。  But he had been at Cambridge;

where all the youth acquire it perfectly。



〃SIRE;〃 said he; 〃I will not disguise from you that I know the

ancient tongue in which you speak。  There are probably secrets

between Mendoza and your Maj〃



〃Hush!〃 said Rafael; leading him from the room。  〃Au revoir; dear

Codlingsby。  His Majesty is one of US;〃 he whispered at the door;

〃so is the Pope of Rome; so is 。 。 。〃a whisper concealed the

rest。



〃Gracious powers! is it so?〃 said Codlingsby; musing。  He entered

into Holywell Street。  The sun was sinking。



〃It is time;〃 said he; 〃to go and fetch Armida to the Olympic。〃







PHIL FOGARTY。



A TALE OF THE FIGHTING ONETY…ONETH。



BY HARRY ROLLICKER。





I。





The gabion was ours。  After two hours' fighting we were in

possession of the first embrasure; and made ourselves as comfortable

as circumstances would admit。  Jack Delamere; Tom Delancy; Jerry

Blake; the Doctor; and myself; sat down under a pontoon; and our

servants laid out a hasty supper on a tumbrel。 Though Cambaceres had

escaped me so provokingly after I cut him down; his spoils were

mine; a cold fowl and a Bologna sausage were found in the Marshal's

holsters; and in the haversack of a French private who lay a corpse

on the glacis; we found a loaf of bread; his three days' ration。

Instead of salt; we had gunpowder; and you may be sure; wherever

the Doctor was; a flask of good brandy was behind him in his

instrument…case。  We sat down and made a soldier's supper。  The

Doctor pulled a few of the delicious fruit from the lemon…trees

growing near (and round which the Carabineers and the 24th Leger had

made a desperate rally); and punch was brewed in Jack Delamere's

helmet。



〃'Faith; it never had so much wit in it before;〃 said the Doctor;

as he ladled out the drink。  We all roared with laughing; except

the guardsman; who was as savage as a Turk at a christening。



〃Buvez…en;〃 said old Sawbones to our French prisoner; 〃ca vous fera

du bien; mon vieux coq!〃 and the Colonel; whose wound had been just

dressed; eagerly grasped at the proffered cup; and drained it with

a health to the donors。



How strange are the chances of war!  But half an hour before he and

I were engaged in mortal combat; and our prisoner was all but my

conqueror。  Grappling with Cambaceres; whom I knocked from his

horse; and was about to despatch; I felt a lunge behind; which

luckily was parried by my sabretache; a herculean grasp was at the

next instant at my throatI was on the groundmy prisoner had

escaped; and a gigantic warrior in the uniform of a colonel of the

regiment of Artois glaring over me with pointed sword。



〃Rends…toi; coquin!〃 said he。



〃Allez an Diable!〃 said I: 〃a Fogarty never surrenders。〃



I thought of my poor mother and my sisters; at the old house in

KillalooI felt the tip of his blade between my teethI breathed

a prayer; and shut my eyeswhen the tables were turnedthe butt…

end of Lanty Clancy's musket knocked the sword up and broke the arm

that held it。



〃Thonamoundiaoul nabochlish;〃 said the French officer; with a curse

in the purest Irish。  It was lucky I stopped laughing time enough

to bid Lanty hold his hand; for the honest fellow would else have

brained my gallant adversary。  We were the better friends for our

combat; as what gallant hearts are not?



The breach was to be stormed at sunset; and like true soldiers we

sat down to make the most of our time。  The rogue of a Doctor took

the liver…wing for his sharewe gave the other to our guest; a

prisoner; those scoundrels Jack Delamere and Tom Delaney took the

legsand; 'faith; poor I was put off with the Pope's nose and a

bit of the back。



〃How d'ye like his Holiness's FAYTURE?〃 said Jerry Blake。



〃Anyhow you'll have a MERRY THOUGHT;〃 cried the incorrigible

Doctor; and all the party shrieked at the witticism。



〃De mortuis nil nisi bonum;〃 said Jack; holding up the drumstick

clean。



〃'Faith; there's not enough of it to make us CHICKEN…HEARTED;

anyhow;〃 said I; 〃come; boys; let's have a song。〃



〃Here goes;〃 said Tom Delaney; and sung the following lyric; of his

own composition





     〃Dear Jack; this white mug that with Guinness I fill;

      And drink to the health of sweet Nan of the hill;

      Was once Tommy Tosspot's; as jovial a sot;

      As e'er drew a spigot; or drain'd a full pot

      In drinking all round 'twas his joy to surpass;

      And with all merry tipplers he swigg'd off his glass。



     〃One morning in summer; while seated so snug;

      In the porch of his garden; discussing his jug;

      Stern Death; on a sudden; to Tom did appear;

      And said; 'Honest Thomas; come take your last bier;'

      We kneaded his clay in the shape of this can;

      From which let us drink to the health of my Nan。〃





〃Psha!〃 said the Doctor; 〃I've heard that song before; here's a new

one for you; boys!〃 and Sawbones began; in a rich Corkagian voice





     〃You've all heard of Larry O'Toole;

      Of the beautiful town of Drumgoole;

           He had but one eye;

           To ogle ye by

      Oh; murther; but that was a jew'l!

           A fool

      He made of de girls; dis O'Toole。



     〃'Twas he was the boy didn't fail;

      That tuck down pataties and mail;

           He never would shrink

           From any sthrong dthrink;

      Was it whisky or Drogheda ale;

           I'm bail

      This Larry would swallow a pail。



     〃Oh; many a night at the bowl;

      With Larry I've sot cheek by jowl;

           He's gone to his rest;

           Where there's dthrink of the best;

      And so let us give his old sowl

           A howl;

      For twas he made the noggin to rowl。〃





I observed the French Colonel's eye glistened as he heard these

well…known accents of his country but we were too well…bred to

pretend to remark his emotion。



The sun was setting behind the mountains as our songs were

finished; and each began to look out with some anxiety for the

preconcerted signal; the rocket from Sir Hussey Vivian's quarters;

wh
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