Punch: Punch (17.1849)

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

69

the cigars glow in the balcony; she sings song after song, in accents I her except Woodward the lawyer, and all shook hands with her except
soft and low, tender and melodious—we are never tired of hearing her. 1 him. Constant study had driven her out of the lawyer's memory. I
Indeed, Bob, I can hear her still—the stars of those calm nights still j don't think he ever cared for Mrs. Nightingale as much as the rest
shine in my memory, and I have been humming one of her tunes with j of us did, or indeed that it is in the nature of that learned man to care

my pen in my mouth, to the surprise of Mr. Dodder, who is writing at
the opposite side of the table, and wondering at the lackadaisical expres-
sion which pervades my venerable mug.

You will naturally argue from the above pathetic passage, that I was
greatly smitten by Mrs. Nightingale (as we will call this lady, if you
will permit me). You are right, Sir. For what is an amiable woman
made, but that we should fall in love with her ? I do not mean to say
that you are to lose your sleep, or give up your dinner, or make yourself
unhappy in her absence: but when the sun shines (and it is not too
hot) I like to bask in it: when the bird sings, to listen: and to admire
that which is admirable, with an honest and hearty enjoyment. There
were a half-dozen men at the period of which I speak, who wore
Mrs. Nightingale's colours, and we used to be invited down from
London of a Saturday and Sunday, to Thornwood, by the hospitable
host and hostess there, and it seemed like going back to school, when
we came away by the coach of a Monday morning : we talked of her
all the way back to London, to separate upon our various callings when
we got into the smoky city. Salvator Rodgers the painter, went to
his easel; Woodward the barrister, to his chambers; Piper, the
doctor, to his patient, (for he then only had one), and so forth. Tate
called us each to his business, and has sent us upon many a distant
errand since that day. But from that day to this, whenever we meet,

for any but one learned person.

And what do you think, Sir, this dear and faithful widow had done to
make us welcome ? She remembered the dishes that we used to like
ever so long ago, and she had every man's favourite dish for him.
Rodgers used to have a passion for herrings—there they were : the
lawyer, who has an enormous appetite, which he gratifies at other
people's expense, had a shoulder of mutton and onion sauce, which the
lean and hungry man devoured almost entirely: mine did not come till
the second course—it was baked plum-pudding—I was affected when I
saw it, Sir—I choked almost when I eat it. Piper made a beautiful
little speech, and made an ice compound, for which he was famous, and
we drank it just as we used to drink it in old times, and to the health ot
the widow.

How should we have had this dinner, how could we all have assembled
together again, if everybody had not been out of town, and everybody
had not been disengaged ? Just for one evening, the scattered members
of an old circle of friendship returned and met round the old table again
—round this litle green island we moor for the night at least,—to-mor-
row we part company, and each man for himself sails over thr ingens
ce.quor.

Since I wrote the above, I find that everybody really is gone awa,>.
The widow left town on Priday. I have been on my round just now,

the remembrance of the holidays at Thornwood has been always aand have been met at every step by closed shutters and the faces of
bond of union between us : and we have always had Mrs. Nightin- ! unfamiliar charwomen. No. 9, is gone to Malvern. No. 37, 15, 25,

•gale's colours put away amongst the cherished relics of old times

N. was a West India merchant, and his property went to the bad.
He died at Jamaica. Thornwood was let to other people who knew

48, and 36a, are gone to Scotland. The solitude of the Club begins to
be unbearable, and I found Muggins this morning, preparing a
mysterious apparatus of travelling boot-trees, and dusting the port-

us not. The widow with a small jointure retired, and educated her [ manteaus.

daughter abroad. We had not heard of her for years and years, s«r If you are not getting on well with the Kicklebury's at Hambourg,

until she came to town about a legacy a few weeks since. I recommend you to go to Spa, Mrs. Nightingale is going thither

In those vears and years what changes have taken place ! Sir and ^ be at the Hotel d'Orange ; where you may use my name and
Salvator Rodgers is a Member of the Boyal Academy. Woodward i present yourself to her : and I may hurt to you m confidence that Miss
the barrister has made a fortune at the Bar; and in seeing Doctor J Panny will have a very pretty little fortune.

Piper in his barouche, as he rolls about Belgravia and May Pair, you ! Brown the Lldeb.

at once know what a man of importance he has become. __

On last Monday week, Sir, I received a letter in a delicate female j
hand-writing, with which I was not acquainted, and which Miss Flora, -r a t t nn^tq i dut aaatc i

the landlady's daughter, condescended to bring me, saying that it had BAldjUUJN* ! JSAldjUUJNb .

Deen left at the door by two ladies in a Brougham.

" —Why did you not let them come up stairs ?" said I in a rage, after
reading the note.

"We don't know what sort of people goes about in Broughams,"
said Miss Plora, with a toss of her head, " we don't want no ladies in
our house: " and she flung her impertinence out of the room.

The note was signed Prances Nightingale,—whereas our Night-
ingale's name was Louisa. But this Prances was no other than the
ittle thing in the large blue sash, whom we remembered at Thornwood,
ever so many years ago. The writer declared that she recollected me
quite well, that her mamma was most anxious to see an old friend, and
that they had apartments at No. 166, Clarges Street, Piccadilly, whither
I hastened off to pay my respects to Mrs. Nightingale.

When I entered the room, a tall and beautiful young woman with
blue eyes, and a serene and majestic air, came up to shake hands with
me: and I beheld in her, without in the least recognising, the little Fanny
of the blue sash. Mamma came out of the adjoining apartment presently.
We had not met since—since all sorts of events had occurred—her j
voice was not a little agitated. Here was that fair creature whom we
had admired so. Sir, I shall not say whether she was altered or not.
The tones of her voice were as sweet and kind as ever;—and we talked
about Miss Panny as a subject in common between us, and I admired
the growth and beauty of the young lady, though I did not mind telling
ner to_ her face (at which to be sure the girl was delighted), that she
never in my eyes would be half as pretty as her mother.

Well Sir, upon this day arrangements were made for that dinner
which took place on Wednesday last, and to the remembrance of which
I determined to consecrate this present page.

It so happened that everybody was in town of the old set of whom I j
have made mention, and everybody was disengaged. Sir Salvator! If the present ballooning mania should be carried much further, it
Rodgers (who has become such a swell since he was knighted and got \ will become necessary for the Police Commissioners to issue regulations
the cordon of the order of the George and Blue Boar of Russia, that j as to the taking up and setting down, in the same way as they now do
we like to laugh at him a little) made his appearance at eight o'clock, j with regard to carriages. We do not know what may be the meteor-
and was perfectly natural and affable. Woodward the lawyer forgot I ological arrangements of the next month or two, and what may be the
his abominable law and his money about which he is always thinking: j course of the stars ; but the probability is, 1hat they may be driven out
and finally Dr. Piper of whom we despaired because his wife is of their course, and that a cry of "Mr. Green's balloon stops the
mortally jealous of every lady whom he attends, and will hardly let him I (milky) way," may reduce some of the moving stars to fixed planets,
dine out of her sight, had pleaded Lady Rackstraw's situation as a ! It is difficult to go down Piccadilly after six o'clock, p. m., without
reason for not going down to Wimbledon Common till night—and so j getting your eyes filled with sand thrown out by the occupants of a
we six had a meeting. _ _ j balloon car, who, making themselves as jolly as sand-boys, sprinkle

The door was opened to us by a maid who looked us bard in the face j London with their discharged ballast,
as we went up-stairs, and who was no other than little Fanny's nurse | Whatever may be the state of the vegetable market, it must be
in former days, come like us to visit her old mistress. We all knew ! allowed that the rise in Greens has been prodigious during the past