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Read Ebook: The Travelling Companions: A Story in Scenes by Anstey F
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Ebook has 109 lines and 8712 words, and 3 pages
ouldn't wonder.
CULCH. . It's not of vital importance if she did. Few-fee-fee-foo-foodle-di-fee-di-fa-foo.
PODB. Not a bit--to her. Better step out if we mean to catch that train. La-di-loodle-lumpty-leedle-um-ti-loo!
GUIDE. Cheery, oh, yais! Now com and beep troo dis 'ole. You see? A Mad Voman cooking her shildt in a gettle. Hier again, dey haf puried a man viz de golera pefore he is daid, he dries to purst de goffin, you see only de handt shdicking oudt.
CULCH. . So we perceive--a very sensible plan, no doubt, in some cases, my dear fellow.
PODB. . Do come and listen to him, most intelligent chap--great fun. Mr. Culchard is above that sort of thing, I dare say.
GUIDE. Your vriendts laike to choin, yais? Same for tree as for von. I exblain all de beecture.
MISS T. You're vurry obliging, Mr. Podbury, but your friend is explaining it all just splendidly.
PODB. . Perhaps I had better dismiss my chap, and take on Mr. Culchard too?
MISS T. No, I'd just hate to have you do that. Keep on going round. You mustn't mind us, indeed!
THE BLACK MUSHROOM. How I wish I'd been one of you!
THE YOUNG SCOT . I doot your legs would ha' stood such wark.
PODB. So long as you keep it buttoned, old chap,--which you don't seem to do!
PODB. The button?
PODB. Phew! The whole bag of tricks gone! You're lucky if you get them again. Any number of tramps and beggars all the way up. Shouldn't have taken off your coat--very careless of you!
CULCH. It was so hot. I must go and inform the Police here--I may recover it yet. Anyway, we--we must push on to Nuremberg, and I'll telegraph home for money to be sent here. You can let me have enough to get on with?
PODB. With all the pleasure in life, dear boy--on your own conditions, you know. I mean, if I pay the piper, I call the tune. Now, I don't cotton to Nuremberg somehow; I'd rather go straight on to Constance; we could get some rowing there.
CULCH. . Well, I'll--I'll meet you half-way. I've no objection to--er--titting up with you--Nuremberg or Constance. Come?
PODB. You weren't so anxious to tit up just now--but never mind. Now then, Emperor--Constance. Eagle--Nuremberg. Is it sudden death, or best out of three?
SECOND T. T. . I mean to say, they don't 'ave nothing to indicate which is Jack's property, and which is Joe's.
FIRST T. T. There's precious few 'edges or fences in the Isle o' Thanet, as you'd know if you've ever been to Margit.
SECOND T. T. . I'm not talkin' about Margit now, I'm talkin' of 'ere, and I'll trouble you to show me a landmark.
FIRST T. T. Depend on it they've their own ways of knowing which is 'oo's.
CULCH. Only in words; that is, I record my impressions in a poetic form. A perfect sonnet may render a scene, a mood, a passing thought, more indelibly than the most finished sketch; may it not?
THE Y. L. That is quite true; indeed, I occasionally relieve my feelings by the composition of Greek or Latin verses, which I find, on the whole, better adapted to express the subtler emotions. Don't you agree with me there?
CULCH. . Doubtless. But I am hindering your sketch?
THE Y. L. No, I was merely saturating my mind with the general effect. I shall not really begin my sketch till to-morrow. I am going now. I hope the genius of the place will inspire you.
PODB. --
Now then, this party as what came from Fla-an-ders, What had the com-plex-i-on rich and rare, He went and took and caught the yaller ja-un-ders-- And his complexion isn't what it were!
MISS P. And are you not enchanted by the logical lucidity of that great thinker?
MISS P. Really, Mr. Podbury, I see nothing particularly incomprehensible in that.
MISS P. As soon as you can induce him to go--to-morrow, if possible.
MISS P. . I think you will find him open to persuasion. But go and try, Mr. Podbury.
PODB. I'm looking, old chap. It's all there, right enough!
CULCH. . It doesn't seem to be making any particular impression on you, I must say!
PODB. It's making me deuced peckish, I know that--how about lunch, eh!
CULCH. We shan't get over it for some hours yet.
MISS T. My! but that sounds like a proposal?
CULCH. . Really, this is not much better than Ruskin, after all. But I don't despair. That last remark was distinctly encouraging!
CULCH. . Tunny? Thank you. I--er--will certainly remember his name, if I require a guide.
CULCH. Is that so? Then I will make a point of asking for it--if I want raw beefsteak.
UNDER THE TREE.
MAUD. Well, I allowed that was about your idea.
HYP. And don't you recognize that it was very fine of him to give up everything for his friend's sake?
MAUD. I guess it depends how much "everything" amounted to.
HYP. Don't you really? Not when the friend was under vow for me too?
MAUD. Well, Hypatia Prendergast! And how many admirers do you have around under vow, as a regular thing?
HYP. There were only those two. Ruskin permits as many as seven at one time.
MAUD. That's a vurry liberal allowance, too. I don't see how there'd be sufficient suitors to go round. But maybe each gentleman can be under vow for seven distinct girls, to make things sort of square now?
HYP. Certainly not. The whole beauty of the idea lies in the unselfish and exclusive devotion of every knight to the same sovereign lady. In this case I happen to know that the--a--individual had never met his ideal until--
MAUD. Until he met you? At Nuremberg, wasn't it? My! And what was his name? Do tell!
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