Mrs Lirriper's Legacy by Charles Dickens (thriller books to read TXT) đ
- Author: Charles Dickens
- Performer: -
Book online «Mrs Lirriper's Legacy by Charles Dickens (thriller books to read TXT) đ». Author Charles Dickens
When the Major glared at Mr. Buffle with those meaning words my dear I literally gasped for a teaspoonful of salvolatile in a wine-glass of water, and I says âPray let it go no farther gentlemen I beg and beseech of you!â But the Major could be got to do nothing else but snort long after Mr. Buffle was gone, and the effect it had upon my whole mass of blood when on the next day of Mr. Buffleâs rounds the Major spruced himself up and went humming a tune up and down the street with one eye almost obliterated by his hat there are not expressions in Johnsonâs Dictionary to state. But I safely put the street door on the jar and got behind the Majorâs blinds with my shawl on and my mind made up the moment I saw danger to rush out screeching till my voice failed me and catch the Major round the neck till my strength went and have all parties bound. I had not been behind the blinds a quarter of an hour when I saw Mr. Buffle approaching with his Collecting-books in his hand. The Major likewise saw him approaching and hummed louder and himself approached. They met before the Airy railings. The Major takes off his hat at armâs length and says âMr. Buffle I believe?â Mr. Buffle takes off HIS hat at armâs length and says âThat is my name sir.â Says the Major âHave you any commands for me, Mr. Buffle?â Says Mr. Buffle âNot any sir.â Then my dear both of âem bowed very low and haughty and parted, and whenever Mr. Buffle made his rounds in future him and the Major always met and bowed before the Airy railings, putting me much in mind of Hamlet and the other gentleman in mourning before killing one another, though I could have wished the other gentleman had done it fairer and even if less polite no poison.
Mr. Buffleâs family were not liked in this neighbourhood, for when you are a householder my dear youâll find it does not come by nature to like the Assessed, and it was considered besides that a one-horse pheayton ought not to have elevated Mrs. Buffle to that height especially when purloined from the Taxes which I myself did consider uncharitable. But they were NOT liked and there was that domestic unhappiness in the family in consequence of their both being very hard with Miss Buffle and one another on account of Miss Buffleâs favouring Mr. Buffleâs articled young gentleman, that it WAS whispered that Miss Buffle would go either into a consumption or a convent she being so very thin and off her appetite and two close-shaved gentlemen with white bands round their necks peeping round the corner whenever she went out in waistcoats resembling black pinafores. So things stood towards Mr. Buffle when one night I was woke by a frightful noise and a smell of burning, and going to my bedroom window saw the whole street in a glow. Fortunately we had two sets empty just then and before I could hurry on some clothes I heard the Major hammering at the atticsâ doors and calling out âDress yourselves!âFire! Donât be frightened!âFire! Collect your presence of mind!âFire! All rightâFire!â most tremenjously. As I opened my bedroom door the Major came tumbling in over himself and me, and caught me in his arms. âMajorâ I says breathless âwhere is it?â âI donât know dearest madamâ says the MajorââFire! Jemmy Jackman will defend you to the last drop of his bloodâFire! If the dear boy was at home what a treat this would be for himâFire!â and altogether very collected and bold except that he couldnât say a single sentence without shaking me to the very centre with roaring Fire. We ran down to the drawing-room and put our heads out of window, and the Major calls to an unfeeling young monkey, scampering by be joyful and ready to split âWhere is it?âFire!â The monkey answers without stopping âO hereâs a lark! Old Buffleâs been setting his house alight to prevent its being found out that he boned the Taxes. Hurrah! Fire!â And then the sparks came flying up and the smoke came pouring down and the crackling of flames and spatting of water and banging of engines and hacking of axes and breaking of glass and knocking at doors and the shouting and crying and hurrying and the heat and altogether gave me a dreadful palpitation. âDonât be frightened dearest madam,â says the Major, ââFire! Thereâs nothing to be alarmed atâFire! Donât open the street door till I come backâFire! Iâll go and see if I can be of any serviceâFire! Youâre quite composed and comfortable ainât you?âFire, Fire, Fire!â It was in vain for me to hold the man and tell him heâd be galloped to death by the enginesâpumped to death by his over-exertionsâwet-feeted to death by the slop and messâ flattened to death when the roofs fell inâhis spirit was up and he went scampering off after the young monkey with all the breath he had and none to spare, and me and the girls huddled together at the parlour windows looking at the dreadful flames above the houses over the way, Mr. Buffleâs being round the corner. Presently what should we see but some people running down the street straight to our door, and then the Major directing operations in the busiest way, and then some more people and thenâcarried in a chair similar to Guy Fawkes- -Mr. Buffle in a blanket!
My dear the Major has Mr. Buffle brought up our steps and whisked into the parlour and carted out on the sofy, and then he and all the rest of them without so much as a word burst away again full speed leaving the impression of a vision except for Mr. Buffle awful in his blanket with his eyes a rolling. In a twinkling they all burst back again with Mrs. Buffle in another blanket, which whisked in and carted out on the sofy they all burst off again and all burst back again with Miss Buffle in another blanket, which again whisked in and carted out they all burst off again and all burst back again with Mr. Buffleâs articled young gentleman in another blanketâhim a holding round the necks of two men carrying him by the legs, similar to the picter of the disgraceful creetur who has lost the fight (but where the chair I do not know) and his hair having the appearance of newly played upon. When all four of a row, the Major rubs his hands and whispers me with what little hoarseness he can get together, âIf our dear remarkable boy was only at home what a delightful treat this would be for him!â
My dear we made them some hot tea and toast and some hot brandy-and- water with a little comfortable nutmeg in it, and at first they were scared and low in their spirits but being fully insured got sociable. And the first use Mr. Buffle made of his tongue was to call the Major his Preserver and his best of friends and to say âMy for ever dearest sir let me make you known to Mrs. Buffleâ which also addressed him as her Preserver and her best of friends and was fully as cordial as the blanket would admit of. Also Miss Buffle. The articled young gentlemanâs head was a little light and he sat a moaning âRobina is reduced to cinders, Robina is reduced to cinders!â Which went more to the heart on account of his having got wrapped in his blanket as if he was looking out of a violinceller case, until Mr. Buffle says âRobina speak to him!â Miss Buffle says âDear George!â and but for the Majorâs pouring down brandy-and-water on the instant which caused a catching in his throat owing to the nutmeg and a violent fit of coughing it might have proved too much for his strength. When the articled young gentleman got the better of it Mr. Buffle leaned up against Mrs. Buffle being two bundles, a little while in confidence, and then says with tears in his eyes which the Major noticing wiped, âWe have not been an united
Comments (0)