The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 395: what you’re looking at

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

308 THE STEAM PACKET. pot of beer, he felt as if he could weep at the reminiscences of cham- pagne and Burgundy. He, however, constrained his feelings, and did ample justice to the entertainment, which might almost have been said to be given by himself to welcome his own return home. After sup- per Mrs. Gibbins made the kettle boil,—and the mysterious black bottle having been filled at Mr. Buckram’s expense, and a little lump sugar procured upon the same system, the washerwoman and the tailor enjoyed themselves to their heart’s content. ‘¢ Well, tell me, Mr. Buckram,” said the widow, “ what did you see in France ? ”’ - ‘<The very best eating and drinking you could fancy, Mrs. Gibbins,” answered the tailor, — ‘‘ And do’em really eat frogs in that ’ere country ?”” demanded Mrs. Gibbins. ‘‘ They do, indeed, ma’am,” said Mr. Buckram, ‘‘ and the most de- licate and beautiful eating those little reptiles are too. They are far more useful than ornamental, I can tell you.” 1% ‘And now, Mr. Buckram, sir,” said Mrs. Gibbins, simpering, and endeavouring to look excessively confused, which she had done before from the simple reason of being rather drunk,—‘“‘ and now, Mr. Buck- ram, sir, will you be so good as to answer me jist von ke-vestion, and excuse the liberty I take in putting sich a wery unproper von?” Here the good lady stopped to drain her glass, and My. Buckram considerately requested her to “ fire away.” . “*No—I can’t—I raly can’t,” said Mrs. Gibbins; “it is so wery curos for a lone vidder to wentur sich a thing to a single gen’leman, and him a young von.” “Pray don’t let there be any ceremony between you and me,” cried Mr. Buckram. ‘* Now, then—another glass—and then you will be as right as a trivet.” Mrs, Gibbins mixed two more tumblers of gin-and-water, and then rose from her chair just to slap the face of her seventh child who had started up in the bed in the corner of the room, with a noise some- what between a scream and a howl. Having bestowed this salutary castigation upon the refractory urchin, the worthy lady seated herself, and, after some hesitation, inquired, ‘‘ since Mr. Buckram would know what was uppermost in her mind,” whether it was really true that ladies in France took their breakfasts in bed, and received morning visitors, male and female, in that interesting condition? To this ques- tion Mr. Buckram replied that he believed the custom had once ex- isted, but that he believed it had exploded ; and the widow then began to interrogate him relative to her hopeful son Tom. ‘¢ And how does he conduct his-self?”’ she said: ‘‘ does he give COMMICLOOOL SCE)