登陆注册
5239300000085

第85章 OUR HONOURABLE FRIEND(2)

The difficulty came before our honourable friend, in this way. He went down to Verbosity to meet his free and independent constituents, and to render an account (as he informed them in the local papers) of the trust they had confided to his hands - that trust which it was one of the proudest privileges of an Englishman to possess - that trust which it was the proudest privilege of an Englishman to hold. It may be mentioned as a proof of the great general interest attaching to the contest, that a Lunatic whom nobody employed or knew, went down to Verbosity with several thousand pounds in gold, determined to give the whole away - which he actually did; and that all the publicans opened their houses for nothing. Likewise, several fighting men, and a patriotic group of burglars sportively armed with life-preservers, proceeded (in barouches and very drunk) to the scene of action at their own expense; these children of nature having conceived a warm attachment to our honourable friend, and intending, in their artless manner, to testify it by knocking the voters in the opposite interest on the head.

Our honourable friend being come into the presence of his constituents, and having professed with great suavity that he was delighted to see his good friend Tipkisson there, in his working-dress - his good friend Tipkisson being an inveterate saddler, who always opposes him, and for whom he has a mortal hatred - made them a brisk, ginger-beery sort of speech, in which he showed them how the dozen noblemen and gentlemen had (in exactly ten days from their coming in) exercised a surprisingly beneficial effect on the whole financial condition of Europe, had altered the state of the exports and imports for the current half-year, had prevented the drain of gold, had made all that matter right about the glut of the raw material, and had restored all sorts of balances with which the superseded noblemen and gentlemen had played the deuce - and all this, with wheat at so much a quarter, gold at so much an ounce, and the Bank of England discounting good bills at so much per cent.! He might be asked, he observed in a peroration of great power, what were his principles? His principles were what they always had been. His principles were written in the countenances of the lion and unicorn; were stamped indelibly upon the royal shield which those grand animals supported, and upon the free words of fire which that shield bore. His principles were, Britannia and her sea-king trident! His principles were, commercial prosperity co-existently with perfect and profound agricultural contentment; but short of this he would never stop. His principles were, these, - with the addition of his colours nailed to the mast, every man's heart in the right place, every man's eye open, every man's hand ready, every man's mind on the alert. His principles were these, concurrently with a general revision of something - speaking generally - and a possible readjustment of something else, not to be mentioned more particularly. His principles, to sum up all in a word, were, Hearths and Altars, Labour and Capital, Crown and Sceptre, Elephant and Castle. And now, if his good friend Tipkisson required any further explanation from him, he (our honourable friend) was there, willing and ready to give it.

Tipkisson, who all this time had stood conspicuous in the crowd, with his arms folded and his eyes intently fastened on our honourable friend: Tipkisson, who throughout our honourable friend's address had not relaxed a muscle of his visage, but had stood there, wholly unaffected by the torrent of eloquence: an object of contempt and scorn to mankind (by which we mean, of course, to the supporters of our honourable friend); Tipkisson now said that he was a plain man (Cries of 'You are indeed!'), and that what he wanted to know was, what our honourable friend and the dozen noblemen and gentlemen were driving at?

Our honourable friend immediately replied, 'At the illimitable perspective.'

同类推荐
  • 养生秘录

    养生秘录

    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。
  • THE GOLF COURSE MYSTERY

    THE GOLF COURSE MYSTERY

    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。
  • 六十种曲目录

    六十种曲目录

    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。
  • 淮海词

    淮海词

    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。
  • 玄风庆会录

    玄风庆会录

    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
  • 长袍与牢骚

    长袍与牢骚

    民国是一个充满魅力的时代,也是一个动荡不安的时代。本书聚焦普通教科书上看不到的人与事,被遮蔽与被掩盖的历史真相。本书分三编。上编“社会思想”介绍了林森、张澜、张君劢、胡适等人许多鲜为人知的故事。他们致力于推动现代中国的转型,其情切切,其心拳拳。中编“文化传奇”讲述了成舍我、夏衍、柳亚子、张伯驹等人的风骨铮铮,蕴藉风流。下编“时代变迁”讨论了物理学家饶毓泰、新闻人杨刚、地方绅士牛友兰等人的坎坷命运,发人深省,耐人寻味。
  • YY的悲剧

    YY的悲剧

    睁开眼。床头柜的闹钟显示:六点一刻。还早呢,让我再多睡会儿。和往常一样的贪睡想法让我翻了个身,旋即发现枕头边伏着一堆发尾反翘的柔顺青丝。它属于一个女孩。一个五官精致,睡相迷人,身穿小天使图案睡衣的可爱女孩。啊啊啊啊啊!发出震惊的咆哮之余,我已经退到了房间墙壁。其动作之大,让枕头被子流泻了一地。“……吵什么啊?人家还没睡够的说。”女孩醒了,揉着惺忪睡眼发起了牢骚。岂有此理!我差点因此长眠于世!你有什么资格对此不满的!
  • 一代天骄:成吉思汗

    一代天骄:成吉思汗

    《一代天骄——成吉思汗》中优美生动的文字、简明通俗的语言、图文并茂的形式,把中国文化中的物态文化、制度文化、行为文化、精神文化等知识要点全面展示给读者。
  • 王妃娘娘至尊天下

    王妃娘娘至尊天下

    她作为二十二世纪的明星小花旦和新起的雇佣杀手,被众人所推崇,可她依旧淡然释之;直到一天,她的命运轨迹发生变化……她在七大国之间周旋,亲手改变自己的命运。当她再遇见他,当他再邂逅她。明明一切才开始,可他和她的命运之轮早已开始转动;这一世的他们是否能改写他们的结局……
  • 龙牙咒

    龙牙咒

    龙牙宝刀,上古三大邪器之一,相传锻造时原料用了许多恶毒之物,并有多种诅咒缠缚……李慕阳和纪雁蓉之间的恩怨情仇,也因这龙牙刀而缘起缘灭……他们最后能否解开诅咒,再续前缘?
  • 我的郁金香小姐

    我的郁金香小姐

    我和她都是这条郁金香路附近的居民,我们呼吸着一样的空气,喜欢这里郁金香开放的季节,厌恶夏天因为干燥扬起的灰尘,虽然彼此从来没有说过“你好”或是“再见”,但却真实的在这里有过喜怒哀乐。终于有一天,我叫她郁金香小姐,她叫我笆斗先生.......
  • 春日游苑喜雨应诏

    春日游苑喜雨应诏

    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。
  • 黄帝太乙八门入式诀

    黄帝太乙八门入式诀

    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。
  • 傲焰

    傲焰

    艳,一个冷若冰霜却又艳绝天下的女子,冷艳这个词似乎就是为了形容她的存在。从江湖顶尖的杀手到护卫一国的将军,她不是多变的女子,却在人们心中留下了不同的印象,有人畏她如蛇蝎,有人敬她若神明,也有人为她痛彻心。她不是一个迷,而是一个神话,带着现实的酸甜苦辣,却终究达到了凡人无法企及的高度,站在深情的帝王身旁,她是被天下尊称的“焰将”,长剑所指,血红一片。美貌,身姿,气质,这都不是她最吸引人的地方,她的冰冷与炙热带着一种奇异的吸引力,让人不可自拔的陷入,然后愈陷愈深,最终迷失了自己。武功,才情,谋略,这都不是她自傲的地方,她最让人惊叹的是那种洞悉一切的观察力,冷冷的看着世事,用一颗明悟的心,做着自己想做的事,堕落也好,辉煌也罢,她终究知道自己想要的是什么…
  • 血煞天魔

    血煞天魔

    十年筑基,百年炼丹,千年飞升为何?是为了打破命运的桎梏,还是只为长生不死!这是一个现代穿越者,在修真界被视为邪派的天魔门中一路成长的故事,修真到底为何或许只有在他飞升进入九玄天界后才能得到答案。