The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 130: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

112 REYNOLDS’ WORKS for these identical breeches, without which it would be exceed- ingly inconvenient, not to say impossible, for the illustrious sovereign to appear at the review. Such was the explanation of his Royal Highness’s dilemma, and the waiter promised to send round at once to the tailor’s for the missing panta- loons; but Christian observed that the man could scarcely repress a smile, while our hero himself had still more difficulty in keeping down an outburst of laughter. Thinking that by this time Baron Raggidbak might have finished mending his own breeches, and that the secretary’s room would be now disengaged, Christian was proceeding thither, when his attention was drawn to the explosion of a sudden altercation between General Himmelspinken and Count Frumpenhausen. The latter nobleman — who, be it remembered, was Gold Stick in Waiting — had fashioned for himself a very fine plumage with the feathers of a cock pheasant’s tail; and he was just on the point of fastening his plume to the side of his hat with a brass brooch such as can be purchased in the Lowther Arcade for eighteenpence, when General Himmelspinken snatched the plume away. Doubtless, as a military officer of high rank, and holding the eminent position of master of the horse, his Excellency the General conceived that he himself was the most fitting and proper person to wear the plume. Count Frumpenhausen however thought otherwise, and a violent dispute arose. The general, with the characteristic bravery of a true warrior, proceeded to protect his plunder by force of arms, — or rather of fists, — and he made a desperate onslaught on Count Frumpenhausen. The combat raged between the two, and while they were thus fighting, Herr Humbogh, the privy seal, walked quietly off with the plume, and seating himself at the farther end of the apartment, began attaching it to his own beaver, in the very place where the said beaver (which was a shocking bad one) was most battered. Count Wronki’s interference put an end to the quarrel between the valorous general and the titled Frumpenhausen, but nothing could induce Herr Humbogh to deliver up the plume; and sticking his hat, thus decorated, on the side of his head, he strutted to and fro with such an air of defiance that neither of the two discomfited disputants dared approach him in & menacing manner. With mingled feelings of disgust and amazement, yet econiclboolks.ceeyany