The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 144: what you’re looking at

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

THE STEAM PACKET. 103 + _ the way. that I may forthwith repair into the presence of your master, who sitteth in the high places; forasmuch.as it hath become me to wait upon his lordship, to solicit his gracious favour, and even his donation, in behalf of the Zion Chapel, which myself and a few friends, religiously disposed—although sinful vessels in the eyes of the _ Lord—have set up. And, my peed young man, do this, and it shall be well for thee here and “Vell, blowed if I ain’t a precious good mind to let you goin, old. feller,”’ interrupted Tom, ‘‘if it was only for the lark. But I doesn’t Low how his lordship would take it—’specially ven he’s over his bottle.” ‘‘Ah! the fleshpots of Egypt!’ ejaculated the minister, turning his eyes up to heaven; “ah! ot ungodly vessels—the unsavoury offerings ! Albeit, young man—” FE ‘“‘Come, come,—there ’s enow o’ that ere gammon, 99 cried Tom: “you von’t come in—none on ye von’t—nor you—nor you—nor you— nor you! So be off vith ye, my finé fellers, and I’ll tell his lordship o’ your civility ven he’s done writing his despatches for the Prime Minister and the Archbishop o’ Canterbury to-morrow mornin’.” -In this way did Mr. Thomas Gibbins clear the vestibule of the im- portunate visitors; and in the evening the Luminaries were enabled to stroll_out, in small parties.of twos and threes, without being aoe by a crowd of spectators. There was very little to inspect or admire at Saint ane with the ‘exception of the ruins of the old cathedral, the tower of hich still retains the traces of that admirable Gothic architecture, the grand secret of whose massive construction seems lost.to modern times, But in the immediate vicinity of these relics of ancient grandeur, and overlooking the open space upon which the ruins lie scattered about, as if those huge and moss-covered stones had never. been piled: upon each other, but always been, like the remains of Druid temples, half imbedded in the earth,—was a. large house, of very antique appear- ance, with huge gables overhanging the walls, and little images standing in niches here and there. The windows were all closed with shutters, which seemed to be rapidly yielding to the ravages of time, and ready to fall from their setting; and the great gates of the carriage-way appeared as if any moderate degree of manual, force directed against them by even a.single individual would force them open. . All about that old building announced neglect and decay; and a natural, asso- ciation of ideas immediately connected its former inmates with the altars of the ruined church close by. Nor were the suspicions of the ‘visitors upon this occasion unfounded: the falling tenement had once Gomichbooks (C©)