The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 358: what you’re looking at

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secteur setnustepastnensee eemeeeneanesnewensemeeeer THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. $47 Quotha ; and some person amongst the crowd that was collecting arcund the Punch and Jady show, exclaimed, “ There | that’s the young Duke !—that’s the handsome young gentleman who a few months back inherited tho Marchmont Peerage |” Mine Gott!” muttered Raggidbak to himeelf : “de youg mans eall now go for to be a Duke |" — then raising his voice, he shouted out, “Come down, you dam raseals{ What for you in de palace of one great Duke? Him an [nglis Duke! -—-you de shabby beggarly flonkies of de one great pauper German Duke! Ab, you go tell him Royal Highnees dat me get dronk and mo sell de plate off de harness! Oh, you vare groat dam rascals {” While Baron Raggidbak was thus relieving his mind of ite spiteful and vindictive feelings towards the three officials of the puissant German Prinoe, those individuals themselves stood transfixed in as- tonishment and diemay at the window. When he bad finished his ejaculatory objurgations, Baron Raggidbek woand all up with a wild flourish upon the mouth organ, and such a terrific blow upon the big drum that the parchment was oracked. The individual whose duty it was to stand in front of the show and carry on a pleasant discourse with Mr. Punch, was so incensed at this wanton de- struction of property, that he seized upon the cud- gel with which Panch was wont to inflict personal chastisement upon Judy, and he aimed a terrific blow at the sconce of Baron Raggidbak. But thig illustrious personage—who now seemed inspired with a new life of some kind or another—dexter- ously warded off the blow, seized upon the staff, “and therewith struck the Punch end Judy man to the ground—thus in a moment avenging many an insult, cuff, gibe, and practical joke which he had previously submitted to with a sullen and morose resignation. Then tossing away the mouth-organ, slipping the drum off his neck, and giving it a terrific kick which smashed in the hitherto unin- jured side, he darted away as fact as his legs could carry him. All this was the work of a very few moments; and the crowd, hugely delighted at the whole scene, cheered most !ustily. “Now,” said Christian, abraptly closing the window, and addressing himeelf in a peremptory manner to his three German visitors, “I order you to retiro;—and I have further to inform you that if you again present yourselves at my residence, you will find the doors closed against you.” “ Begar!” exclaimed the Chevalier Kadger, ges- ticulating violently, so that forgetting any longer to hold his arm tight to his side, he displayed the reot which he had hitherto so studiously eon- cealed: “dis vare great insult sall be for to have satisfaction! Die sall be mine friend ;”’—and he puinted to the Chevalier Gumbinnen. “ Me fight mit de broadsword—and me pink you troo and troo himme!l !” } “Vare goot!” ejaculated Count Frumpenhausen, dispipying his tattered kerohief, he being seized with a violent sneezing fit at the moment. “ Die pall be one duel—or you, my lord, sall. be for) making de apology—whicb, begar! sall be for de best; and you sall be for ordering de bottles of wine—de port and sherries; so we sall all make it up and be vare goot friends. It not de first time, my lord, you find us vare goot gumpany.” Leet a esses ves essnseeeeeesanparvesesupsennarse aces The young Duke of Marchmont rang the bell violently ; and when a footman answered the sum- mons, he exclaimed, “Show these persons from the house; and tell the hall-porter to take care that they never again cross my thrcoshol J.” Nothing could exceed the rage of the three Ger- mans on hearing this mandate iseued, The Ohoya- liey Gumbinnen thrust bis hands into his hair, and tore at it violently, as if he were madly intent on tearing out masses by the roots: and then, with a loud * Begar!” he rushed towards Christian to deal him a blow. But the footman sprang for. ward, at the same time shouting for help; and ecising the Chevalior Gumbinnen by the coat- collay at the back part of the neek, he forced him from the room. Two other tall powerful footmen instantaneously made their appearaneo: they laid hands upon the Chevalier Kadger and Oount Feumpenhausen in a similar manner, and ejected them in the same style. When once out of their ducal master’s sight, the three footmen gave free vent to their antipathies against the Germans; and from the top of the atairs to the bottom it was a series of kicks respectively administered to the hinder-quarters of those three retainers of the high and wighty Prince, the Grand Duke of Maxe-Stolburg-Quotha. Through the spacious hall wore the miserable Gesmans thus ignomi- niously urged along—antil they were finally ex- pelled, each with a good parting kiek, from the portals of the mansion,—the whole scene being to the infinite amusement of the domestics who ad- ministered the chastisement, as well as of the others who were lounging in the hall at the time. Now, the usage whieh the three Germans thus experienced, was certainly somewhat of the rough- est; and the consequences were dieplayed in the condition of their apparel as they made their forced and ignominious exit from the ducal mansion. The Chevalier Gumbinnen had the seat of -his pantaloons moet uncomfortably rent; and as his coat was very short, the damage was plainly visible. Furthermore, as he wore no shirt, the incident was fraught with a still greater in. convenienee: for something more than a glimpse of the Githicst pair of drawers wae afforded. The Ohevalier Kadger had the rent under the arm-pit moet cruelly magnified ; and his independence of linen, calico, or long-cloth in the shape of shirting, was likewise apparent. As for Count Frumpen- hausen—who wore a great loose coat, very much in the shape of a blouse,—ite strong coarse mate- rial had withstood the violence of the treatment he experienced: but his dirty rag of a handker- chief was hanging for more than three parts of its length out of his pockets. Thus, three more igno- miniously comical figures it would be impossible to conceive ; and to enhance their mortification, they all in a moment found themselves ia the midst of the crowd which had assembled about the Punch and Judy show. “ My eyes, Bill! here’s a rum go!” exclaimed a coalheaver tv a comrade also wearing a hat with a long flap down the back. * What a lark!” yelled an urchin with an iron hodp in hie hand: and in a moment the three flying Germans were assailed with all sorts of gibes, taunts, and jeste. Away they sped; and Away rushed all the small boys of the crowd after them. The ranks of the COUMIUC NOOK