Comical People | Page 2

I should go to see that dear old Aunt of
mine in London, did not I half smother her with kisses. I thought the
first of May would never come,--but it did; and Tom-tit was sent to
London with me by the railway to take care of me.
My good Aunt received me with the greatest kindness, and her son

Drinkwater, one of the handsomest young fellows I ever saw in my life,
began whispering compliments to me as soon as ever we were left
together. I had a lovely little boudoir entirely for my own use, and my
page Tom-tit had nothing else to do but wait on me. My cousin
Drinkwater and I were soon great friends; he took me to the Opera,
where I listened to singing such as I had never heard at Gorse Bush; he
took me to the Chiswick Fête, where I saw flowers such as I had never
dreamed of; and he took me--how many times? well, I can't
recollect--to that dear, delightful Crystal Palace, where we visited more
foreign countries than I knew of in my Geography, and where we often
found ourselves quite alone, looking at those charming seeds from the
West India Islands; and where we enjoyed some of the most delightful
days of all our lives,--at least, Drinkwater said so; and I think I must
say so too.
Every one has been to the Crystal Palace, so it is of no use talking
about the Koh-i-noor, or the fierce-looking Amazon, or the beautiful
Veiled Vestal, or the Greek Slave, or those terrible-looking owls or
funny foxes, or the other Comical Creatures that came from
Wurtemberg. I will, therefore, tell you how we amused ourselves when
we were not inclined to have our brains bewildered.
First, let me inform you that my cousin, who was born in London,
knows all the grand people by sight, and bows to a great many of them.
You may imagine what a treat it was to me, who had lived in a country
village all my life, to see with my own eyes His Royal Highness the
Prince, or His Grace the Duke, or Her Grace the Duchess, or His
Excellency the Marquis, or the Most Noble the Marchioness, pass by in
their grand carriages. How I used to stand on tip-toe to get a glimpse of
their faces over the people's heads, and how Drinkwater used to laugh
at me.
One morning we were walking in Hyde Park, amusing ourselves in the
usual way, when Drinkwater whispered to me hurriedly, "Here come a
great Lion and Lioness." You may imagine my sensations. Bewildered
with terror, I was about to leave him, and fly; but when I turned with
trembling limbs and looked in the direction he pointed out, I saw that

these fearful creatures appeared quite harmless: in fact, the great Lion,
though he looked very magnificent, was quietly smoking a cigar; and
except that the Lioness stared very fiercely, and wore spurs, and carried
a riding-whip, I really don't think I should have known that she was a
Lioness. A little Tiger, leading the Lioness's horse, followed them at a
short distance.
I noticed that every one made way for these important members of
society, who, indeed, seemed to think the earth hardly good enough for
them to walk upon; but when they had passed by, I heard the people
say, "That's the great Mr. Grandboy. He is one of our celebrated Lions.
He is a perfect literary Beau Brummel; the author of several novels,
that have been read prodigiously; he composes operas, sets the fashion
of the cravat, and, they say, writes leaders for 'The Times.'"
"And who, pray, is the Lioness?"
"That is the Hon. Mrs. Delmacare. She writes novels, too, follows the
hounds, and often whips her Tiger."
Such were the remarks of the crowd.
Drinkwater told me that some of these Lions and Lionesses do most
extraordinary things, and that people run after them and invite them to
the most costly entertainments, where they are expected to amuse the
guests by their roars. I am glad I am not a Lioness.
When I had somewhat recovered from the agitation caused by this
rencontre, Drinkwater persuaded me to take a walk to St. James's Park,
to see those charming ducks, and the black swans, and the queer little
creatures that dive so prettily. We passed under the arch with the great
horse on the top. I asked my cousin if he knew what country such
horses were found in, but he could not tell me, and we walked on and
soon came to the Queen's Palace.
Here let me take breath;--just at the very moment we reached the
gateway, out rolled the royal carriage, and in it, to our great happiness,