登陆注册
5169600000044

第44章

The British Snob is long, long past scepticism, and can afford to laugh quite good-humouredly at those conceited Yankees, or besotted little Frenchmen, who set up as models of mankind.THEY forsooth!

I have been led into these remarks by listening to an old fellow at the Hotel du Nord, at Boulogne, and who is evidently of the Slasher sort.He came down and seated himself at the breakfast-table, with a surly scowl on his salmon-coloured bloodshot face, strangling in a tight, cross-barred cravat; his linen and his appointments so perfectly stiff and spotless that everybody at once recognized him as a dear countryman.Only our port-wine and other admirable institutions could have produced a figure so insolent, so stupid, so gentleman-like.After a while our attention was called to him by his roaring out, in a voice of plethoric fury, 'O!'

Everybody turned round at the 'O,' conceiving the Colonel to be, as his countenance denoted him, in intense pain;but the waiters knew better, and instead of being alarmed, brought the Colonel the kettle.'O,' it appears, is the French for hot-water.The Colonel (though he despises it heartily) thinks he speaks the language remarkably well.Whilst he was inhausting his smoking tea, which went rolling and gurgling down his throat, and hissing over the 'hot coppers' of that respectable veteran, a friend joined him, with a wizened face and very black wig, evidently a Colonel too.

The two warriors, waggling their old heads at each other, presently joined breakfast, and fell into conversation, and we had the advantage of hearing about the old war, and some pleasant conjectures as to the next, which they considered imminent.They psha'd the French fleet; they pooh-pooh'd the French commercial marine; they showed how, in a war, there would be a cordon ('a cordong, by---') of steamers along our coast, and 'by ---,' ready at a minute to land anywhere on the other shore, to give the French as good a thrashing as they got in the last war, 'by ---'.In fact, a rumbling cannonade of oaths was fired by the two veterans during the whole of their conversation.

There was a Frenchman in the room, but as he had not been above ten years in London, of course he did not speak the language, and lost the benefit of the conversation.

'But, O my country!' said I to myself, it's no wonder that you are so beloved! If I were a Frenchman, how Iwould hate you!'

That brutal, ignorant, peevish bully of an Englishman is showing himself in every city of Europe.One of the dullest creatures under heaven, he goes travelling Europe under foot, shouldering his way into galleries and cathedrals, and bustling into palaces with his buck-ram uniform.At church or theatre, gala or picture-gallery, HIS face never varies.A thousand delightful sights pass before his bloodshot eyes, and don't affect him.

Countless brilliant scenes of life and manners are shown him, but never move him.He goes to church, and calls the practices there degrading and superstitious: as if HIS altar was the only one that was acceptable.He goes to picture-galleries, and is more ignorant about Art than a French shoeblack.Art, Nature pass, and there is no dot of admiration in his stupid eyes: nothing moves him, except when a very great man comes his way, and then the rigid, proud, self-confident, inflexible British Snob can be as humble as a flunkey and as supple as a harlequin.

同类推荐
  • 孟子杂记

    孟子杂记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 噶玛阑志略

    噶玛阑志略

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 活幼心书

    活幼心书

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 念佛起缘弥陀观偈直解

    念佛起缘弥陀观偈直解

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 刺奢

    刺奢

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 蚯蚓

    蚯蚓

    温亚军,现为北京武警总部某文学杂志主编。著有长篇小说伪生活等六部,小说集硬雪、驮水的日子等七部。获第三届鲁迅文学奖,第十一届庄重文文学奖,《小说选刊》《中国作家》和《上海文学》等刊物奖,入选中国小说学会排行榜。中国作家协会会员。
  • 新增才子九云记

    新增才子九云记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 逐鹿中原:淮海战役(上)

    逐鹿中原:淮海战役(上)

    本书分徐州概况、聚焦徐州、全歼黄百韬、围歼黄维兵团、追击围歼杜聿明五篇介绍了淮海战役。
  • 凤舞九天:倾城废材太妖孽

    凤舞九天:倾城废材太妖孽

    《盛宠蜜爱:宣少真给力》新文已经发布,亲爱的们多支持哦!星月大陆,以武为尊,谁的拳头硬谁就是老大。凤嫣然,四大家族凤家嫡女,天生废材,胆小痴傻,玄力为零,武力值为零,就这样的一个废物,竟然还是嫡亲的大小姐,占据着好的资源,被同家族的庶女妹妹给打的一命呜呼。再睁眼,从此,她不是她,而她亦是她。在这异界大陆,再看这一代倾城废材新星的冉冉生起,平常的时候,练丹药,收神兽,无聊的时候,寻父亲,救母亲,护家族,养小白脸,咳咳,介个只是顺道而己嘛!《豪门重生空间:盛宠小萌妻》新文求包求养求订求阅!!!
  • 百灵潭

    百灵潭

    这是一个有关百灵潭百鬼群妖的情感系列故事,每篇故事的主人公都有自己独特的情感经历。它讲述是人与百鬼妖怪之间的情感交织和纠葛。整个系列弥漫一种淡然平和,即使是怨恨和执念,最后都能找到最合理的结局。作者用唯美的笔调娓娓道来,带着特殊的韵味,隽永,灵秀,智慧。
  • 世界的那端

    世界的那端

    金麻雀得主于德北的一部个人小小说合集。作者有着较深厚的写作功底,他创作的根须深深植于生活的土壤,通过丰富的生活经历和敏锐的观察、感悟,在小小说这一尺幅空间里向读者展示了一个大天地。在他的笔下,浓浓的亲情、懵懂的爱情、真挚的友情,闪射出人性中至真至善的光辉;于不经意间,触碰到了人心最为柔软的地方。作家不拘于故事本身而擅长于从细节处生发感悟,给读者以更深层次的人生思考和引路。这是十分难能可贵之处。文章简洁精致,深邃思辨,不事雕琢,透着生活的滋味。语言文字透明干净,有韵律,尤其适合青少年读者阅读。如马吊、走北荒、双百老人、纪应先生、徐爱兰等众多篇什描写了底层人的至善至美之魂,感人至深,堪称精品。
  • 妖孽六君

    妖孽六君

    单身的小资女竟莫名其妙的穿在了新婚王妃身上…好吧,看在夫君长的那么妖孽的份上,她认了。未料到自己的身份其实只是人质,离!才不受这鸟气~她从来不拈花惹草,只是为什么…门外来了那么多找她算账的妖孽男…她都不知道是什么时候得罪了这群惹不起的主的…他,邪气孤傲的野心王爷,为达目的不择手段,江山与她都势在必得他,放荡不羁的风流神医,遇见她之后,流连花丛却索然无味,此生之愿便是与她长相厮守他,暗教教主,对他来说女人都是下贱的,不屑一顾,但是她不一样。他,征战沙场的大将军,骁勇善战,终是身陷情关。他,风煞宫的天字绝情杀手,所向无敌,却败给了这个迷糊的女人…不容错过的精彩花絮~【NO.1】“南宫逸,别以为你是什么狗屁王爷,老娘就怕你,我告诉你,我就是天不怕地不怕的主…”某女手叉腰一副怒气冲冲的样子。“有蛇”某男淡淡的说。“啊,快,快把它赶走。”某男一脸鄙视的看着现在正像考拉一样挂在自己身上的女人【NO.2】“娘子,怎么办,你种的恶果谁吃呢?”某男面色潮红,戏谑的看着奋力挣扎的人。“呵呵,呵呵,真的不是我干的。”某女慌乱的摆着手。“其实,是谁已经不所谓了。”说着一把把她抗在了肩上。“救命啊,快来人啊。”某女拳打脚踢的反抗着。“我劝你还是省点力气,没人会来的。”…一群见死不救的混蛋【NO.3】“金夜焕,你帮我个忙好不好?”某女不怀好意的看着眼走远的人。“什么,什么事啊?”某男觉得阴森森的“放心,不是叫你杀人放火。就是…”“姑奶奶,你还不如叫我杀人放火去!”【NO.4】“女人,记住要叫我秋。”“为什么呢,你明明叫秋玥的啊。”“不要问为什么。”冷冷的语气让人不寒而栗。“哦,哦。好”某女见苗头不对,小鸡啄米似的点头应和这。“你给我记住,要叫我玥。”某男咬牙切齿的说“可是,你明明说让我叫你秋的啊”某女一副无辜的样子看着他。“不想死的话,就叫我玥。”懒得和她废话。“呵呵,玥,我记住了。”某女讨好的说着,心里却在翻着白眼,不就是打架厉害吗,拽什么拽,还不一样是白痴,连自己叫什么都搞不清~~~~~~~~~~~~【潇湘拼字群】姐妹好文~~~极品娘亲腹黑儿/非常特别兽宠无赖娘子/伊洛蔓魅世青莲/惆怅客果果儿子们,太闷騒/冷优然首席特工王妃/真爱未凉逗宠俏王妃/遇见未知嗜血狂后/三昧水忏
  • 带着网店回六零

    带着网店回六零

    ※惟青春与亲情不可辜负,惟女主和男主不能招惹!※一朝穿越,沈北溪无奈发现,自己来到了艰苦的六零年代。这里物资奇缺,惟独盛产各路极品。极品躲不过,既如此,要战便战,不撕得淋漓尽致不痛快!一句话简介:经商,斗极品,闲话家常。食用指南:1.本文架空,架的很空,考据请放过,毒死不负责。2.剧情很雷,巨雷无比,不是正经文,入坑需谨慎。【作者智商有限,漏洞在所难免。如果拍,请轻拍,给你爱的比心~】
  • 霸帝

    霸帝

    意外穿越到三国,创下神之奇迹!桃园结义插一腿,过人胆识收小弟!勾心斗角,尔虞我诈,逐鹿中原,饮马天涯。征讨倭岛,扬我华夏。英雄,美人,阴谋,爱情,且看我如何春风独立……
  • 风起时说我爱你

    风起时说我爱你

    从见她第一眼,他就想娶她回家,从见他第一眼,她就觉得他恶心到家。她都不明白这男人怎么老追着她跑,这样也就算了,他竟然把她丢进监狱,一边喝茶一边丢钻戒给她。“嫁给我,你就能从这出去。”“……”她瞠目结舌到家。她说要嫁就嫁他们公司总裁那样的!他问她:“你们公司总裁什么样的?”“英俊潇洒多金专情!”他云淡风轻:“你那么迫切想嫁给他?”她为了让她明白她有多不喜欢他,“对!要么不嫁要嫁就嫁他!”他拿出名片说:“如你所愿,什么时候去登记。”“……”什么情况啊!恶心到家的男人怎么成她家总裁了啊!