~224~~ The moment silence was obtained, old Mark gave three distinct
knocks at the door, when Horace himself appeared, and we were
immediately admitted to the temple of the Muses; where, seated round a
long table, appeared a variety of characters that would have rivalled
(from description) the Beggars' Club in St. Giles's--the Covent-Garden
Finish--or the once celebrated Peep o' day boys in Fleet-lane. At the
upper end of the table were Tom Echo and Bob Transit, the first smoking
his cigar, the second sketching the portraits of the motley group around
him on the back of his address cards; at the lower end of the room, on
each side of the chair from which Eglantine had just risen to welcome
me, sat little Dick Gradus, looking as knowing as an Old Bailey counsel
dissecting a burglary case, and the honourable Lillyman Lionise, the
Eton _exquisite_, looking as delicate and frightened as if his whole
system of ethics was likely to be revolutionized by this night's
entertainment. To such a society a formal introduction was of course
deemed essential; and this favour Horace undertook by recommending me
to the particular notice of the _crackademonians_ (as he was pleased to
designate the elegant assemblage by whom we were then surrounded),
in the following oration: "Most noble _cracks_, and worthy cousin
_trumps_--permit me to introduce a brother of the _togati, fresh_ as
a new-blown rose, and innocent as the lilies of St.
Pages:
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307