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stalls, with a. kindof moonlight cffectahout their stock
in trade, exceptiiigalways for the ruddy lobsters; 1 Many
a pleasant stroll among the waggon-loads of ‘fragrant
hay, beneath which dogs andtired -waggonerslay fast
asleep, oblivious of the ‘picman and the public-house.
But, never half so-good a stroll, as down among the
steamhoats on a bright morning. . ' 3 V, H
There they, lay, alongside of each other; hard and
' fast forever, to all appearance; but designing to get out
somehow, and quite confident of ‘doing it; and in‘that
faith, shoalsof passengers; and heaps of luggage, were’
proceeding hurriedly on board. Little steamboats dashed
up and down the stream incessantly. Tiers upon tiers
of vessels, scores of masts, labyrinths of tackle, idle sails,
splashing oars gliding row-boats, lumbering; barges,
sunken piles,‘ with ugly lodgings for the ‘water.ratLwith-
in-the mud-discoloiired nooks; church-steeples, ware-
houses, housegroofs, arches, bridges, men and women,
:children, cask.s,,cranes,‘ boxes, horses, coaches,.idlers,
‘and hard’ labourers : there they were, all jumbled up
together any summer morning, far beyond 'l‘om’s power
of separation.’ ' -‘ ’- s v. I = i
In theymidst of all tliisturmoil, there was an incessant
roar from every packetfs funnel, which’ quiteexpressed
andcarried out the uppermost emotion of the scene.
They all appeared to be perspiring and bothering tliem-
selves, exactly as. their passengers did ; they never left
off fretting and .chafing,'iin tlieirown hoarse manner,
once ; hilt were always panting out, without any stops,
f’ Come along do make haste I’1n very nervous come along
oh’ good gracious we shall never get there how late you
are do make haste I’m off directly come along i ”
, Even when they had left off, and had got safelywout
into the current, on the smallest provocation they began
again i for the bravest packet of them all,‘ being stopped
‘by some entanglement in the river, would immediately
begin to fume and pant afresh, “Oh here’s a stoppage
what's the matter do go on there I'm in a hurry it’s done
‘on purpose did youever oh my goodness do go on there l”
and so. iii a state of vmind bordering on distraction,
would be last seen drifting slowly through the mist ‘into
i the summer light beyond, that made it red. "
w
Tom's ship, however, or, at least, tliepacket-boat.in
which Tom and his sister took the greatest interest on
one particular occasion ; was not off yet, by any means;
but was at the height of its disorder.‘ The press of pas-
sengers was very great ; another steam-boat lay on each
side of her‘; the gangways were choked up’; distracted
women,'obviously boundfor Gravesend, but turning a
deaf ear to all rc resentations that this particular vessel
was about to sail for Antwerp,‘ persisted in secreting
baskets of refreshments behind bulk-heads and water-
casks, and underseats; and ‘very great confusion pre-
vailed.. .,j ' ,‘ ‘ 2 ,
It was so amusing, that Tom,’ with Ruth upon his arm,
stood looking down from the wharf, as nearly regardless
as it was in the nature of flesh and blood to be, of an
elderly lady‘beliind him, who had brought a large uni-
brella with her, and ’didn’t know what to do with tit.
This tremendous instrument had a hooked handle ;. and
its vicinity was first made known to him by a painfiil
pressure on the windpipe,.consequent upon its having
caught him round the throat. ' Soon after disengaging
himself with perfect good humour, he had a sensation
of ‘the ferule in his back; immediately afterwards, of
the hook entanglirig his ankles; tlienof the uinhrclla
generally, wandering about his hat, and flapping at it
likeya great bird ; and, lastly, of a poke or thrust below
the ribs, which gave him such exceeding anguish, that"
he could not refrain from turning round, to offer a mild
remoiistrance. ; , ,
Upon his turning round, he found the owner of the
‘umbrella struggling, on tiptoc, with a countenance ex-
pressive of violent animosity, to look down; upon the
steamboats; from which heinfcrred’ that she liad‘at-
tacked him,’ standing in the front row, by design, as her
natural enemy. , ‘ , ‘ ‘ ‘” ,'
“ “‘ VVhat axvery ill-natured person you must be i said
om. . V ‘
' The lady cried out fiercely, “ VVhere’s the pelisse l’;’-
incanirig the constabulary-and went on to say, shaking
thohandle of the umbrella at Tom, that but for them
1123
,fellers=never being in the way .when<thcy was wanted,
slic’d have given him in charge, she would; . v -‘
, ' “.If the greased their whiskers less, and minded‘ the
duties which they're paid ‘so heavy‘ for, a little more,’-’
she obferved, “ no one needn't he drove mad by scroud-
1"8S0"' -.
She had been greviously knocked about, no doubt,Afor
her bonnet was bent‘ into the shape 'of a cooked hat.
Being a fat little woman,-too, she was in a state of great
exhaustion and intense heat. rlnstead of pursuing the
altercation;therefore,>Tom civillyrinquired what boat
she wanted to go on board of. ‘ 1 H , e s U , 3
“ I suppose,” she returned the lady, .“ as nobody but
yourself can want to look at a steam package, without
wanting to go a boarding of it, canthe i, Booby I "- ..
' “VVhich one do you want to look at t ien?’? said Tom; '
'3 W'e’ll make room for you if we, can. - Don’t be so’ ill-
tempered.”,- ’. i’ <-," "‘ W -- '-
“No blessed creetur as ever I was with in trying
times,":‘returned the lady, somewliat-softened, ‘land
tliey’re a many,in their numbers, over brought it as a
charge against myself that Lwas anythin’ but mild and
equa in my spirits. Never mind a contradicting of me,
if you seems to feel, it,does, you good, ma’am, I ‘often
says, for well you know that Saireymay. be trusted‘ not
to give it back again. -But I will not denige that I‘ am
worrited and wexed this day, "and with good reagion,
Lordforbidi” ,' ;' < .- ’-V v; ‘A ., ,- -,
By this time,‘Mrs.,Gamp (for it was no other than
that experienced 'practitioner)<had, with Toin’s.assist-
ance,'squeezed and ;worked, herself into a small corner
between Ruth and the rail ; where, after breathing very
hard for some little time, and performing a short series
of dangerous evolutions with the umbrella, she man-
aged to establish herself pretty comfortably. , ,
-.“And which of all them smoking monstersrisr the
Ankworks boat, I wonder, Goodness mel” cried" Mrs.
Gamp. . . i ..
“ Vhat boat did you want?” asked Ruth. '
“ The Ankwor-ks package," Mrs. Gampnrcplied. v“I
will not deceive you,'my sweet.. “’hy should I?” ‘,
“1That is the Antwerp packet in the middle,” said
Ruti. “x ' W ‘ ‘g ‘
“And lwish it was in Jonndge’s belly,'I do,”
Mrs. Gamp; appearing to confound the
the whale in this miraculous aspiration. . Ix ,
. Ruth said nothing in reply ; but, as Mrs. Gainp, laying
her chin against the cool iron of the rail, continued to
look intently at the Antwerp boat, and every now and
then to give a little groan, she inquired whether any
child of hers was going abroad that morning? - Or,per-
haps her husband, she said kindly. > ; V ,
“ VVhich shows,” said Mrs. Gamp, casting npher eyes,
"what a little way you’ve travelled into this wale of
life, my dear young creetur I As a good friend of mine
has fre uent made remark to me, which her name, my
love, is arris, Mrs. Harris through the square and up
the steps a‘ turnin‘ round by the tobacker shop, ‘Oh
Sairey, Sairey, little do we know wot lays-afore us i '
‘Mrs. Harris rr'1a’am,’ I says, fnot much, it’s true, but
more than youisuppo e. ' Our calcilntions, ina'ain,’ I
says, “respectiu’ wot t 10 number of a family will be,
comes most times withiuone, and ofteiier than you
would suppoge, exact.’ ‘Sairey,"says Mrs. Harris, in
an awful way, ‘ Tell me wot is my indiwidgle number.’
' No, Mrs. Harris,’ I says to her, ‘ ex-ciige me, if you
please. My own,’ I says, ‘has fallcrigout of three-pair
backs, and had damp doorsteps settled on their lungs,
and one was turned up smilin’ in abedstend unbeknown.
Thcrefore,‘ma'am,’,I says, ‘seek not to proticiphte, but
take ’em as them as they come and as they go.’ Mine,”
said'Mrs. Gamp, “mine is'all gone, my dear young
chick. And as tojhusbands, tliere’s a woodenleg gone
likeways home to its account, which in its constancy of
walkin’ into wine vaults, and never coinin’ out again ’till
fetched by force, was quite as weak as flesh, if not
weaker.” ‘ " ' ‘” ‘ ’ ' i ”
When she had delivered this oration, Mrs. Gnmp
leaned her chin upon the cool iron again ;' and looking
intently at the Antwerp packet, shook her head and
groane . ‘ ’ v ‘ ' ‘
“ I wouldn't,” said
cried
prophet with
Mrs. Garnp, " I wouldn't be a man
, l?
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