Prev | Current Page 718 | Next

Scott, Walter, Sir, 1771-1832

"Waverley"

I could pity the Pr----, I mean the,
Chevalier himself, for having so many desperadoes about him. And they
learn their trade so early. There is a kind of subaltern imp, for
example, a sort of sucking devil, whom your friend Glena----Glenamuck
there, has sometimes in his train. To look at him, he is about fifteen
years; but he is a century old in mischief and villainy. He was playing
at quoits the other day in the court; a gentleman, a decent-looking
person enough, came past, and as a quoit hit his shin, he lifted his
cane; but my young bravo whips out his pistol, like Beau Clincher in the
"Trip to the Jubilee," and had not a scream of Gardez l'eau from an upper
window set all parties a-scampering for fear of the inevitable
consequences, the poor gentleman would have lost his life by the hands of
that little cockatrice.'
'A fine character you'll give of Scotland upon your return, Colonel
Talbot.'
'O, Justice Shallow,' said the Colonel, 'will save me the
trouble--"Barren, barren, beggars all, beggars all. Marry, good
air,"--and that only when you are fairly out of Edinburgh, and not yet
come to Leith, as is our case at present.


Pages:
706 707 708 709 710 711 712 713 714 715 716 717 718 719 720 721 722 723 724 725 726 727 728 729 730