The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 159: what you’re looking at

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

118 THE STEAM PACKET. which was much to his taste. Presently he became aware of the En- glish language being spoken in his immediate vicinity; and, casting his eyes around him, he beheld in the next box a gentleman and a lady, from whose lips the vernacular prevailing within the sound of Bow- bells, London, had certainly emanated. The gentleman was evidently a sort of sporting character—or, at all events, an imitation of one; for he wore a bird’s-eye handkerchief round his neck, drab shorts, tops, and a poodle benjamin over his green cut-away coat. He might have seen some forty summers, and most probably the same proportion of winters; and his huge red countenance, protuberant stomach, and broad shoulders, characterised him as a regular John Bullall the world over. His companion was a young lady of about four-and-twenty, with a beautiful complexion (artistically formed of red and white paint), and killing black eyes. She was dressed in all the varied colours of the rainbow; but her gaudy garb seemed to sit uneasily upon her ; and her ‘veil was thrown over her white bonnet as “ it were a dishcloth which she had just wrung out. - ‘‘ Fine effect that, sir!’’ said Mr. Pifpaf, addressing she gentleman, ‘and.alluding to the manner in which a dancer twirled round upon her left leg, while the other one was stretched out at right angles with her body. ‘Very fine, sir,” answered the Englishman; then turning ideisilie the lady, he said, loud enough for Mr. Pifpaf to hear him,—‘ There, my dear, I was quite right ; I knowed the gentleman was one of us.” . 99 “‘ If you mean that [ am an Englishman,” said the shetye chair- man of the JT ** you are quite right, sir. Here is my card —at your service.’ “Ah! Pifpaf—I see—pretty name—aristocratic, and so on,” mur- mured the gentleman, surveying the pasteboard with great respect. “© My name’s Dakins, sir,—Mr. Philip Dakins, at yous service also.” As he uttered these words he held out a huge hand, in which Mr, - Pifpaf’s was immediately grasped with the force of a vice. “‘ Very happy to make your es sir!” said Mr. Bianins. = *€ This is Mrs. Dakins, sir,—my wife.” Mr. Pifpaf bowed, and the lady smiled—and the gentleman laughed too in his sleeve; for he had only met with his female companion an hour previous to his leaving London, a couple of days back, and neither parson nor clerk had anything to do with the conditions upon which they resided together. > Now as Mr. Dakins and Mr. Pifpaf had got upon such very comfort- able terms with each other, they could not do otherwise (as English- men) than forthwith repair to the saloon, where they partook each of Gomicbooks co