Comical People

Comical People, by Unknown

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Title: Comical People
Author: Unknown
Illustrator: J. J. Grandville
Release Date: November 6, 2007 [EBook #23352]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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PEOPLE ***

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[Illustration: Cover: COMICAL PEOPLE]

COMICAL PEOPLE.

COMICAL PEOPLE
ILLUSTRATED
WITH SIXTEEN PICTURES
TAKEN FROM THE EMBROIDERED TAPESTRY CONTRIBUTED
BY MARIA FUSINATA, OF BELLUNO, TO THE GREAT
EXHIBITION.
Drawn and Grouped from the Designs
OF
J. J. GRANDVILLE.
LONDON: DAVID BOGUE, 86 FLEET STREET. MDCCCLII.

CONTENTS.
PAGE
LADY CHAFFINCH'S BALL 1
THE LORD OF THE MANOR 13
MY NEIGHBOURS. A COUNTRY STORY. BY WARREN
RABBITT 17
THE DE MOUSAS. A TALE 27
ROOKWOOD HALL 33

CITY PEOPLE 37
THE PORTRAIT-PAINTER 41
THE STUFFED ANIMALS IN THE EXHIBITION 46
ALDERMAN GOBBLE'S AMBITION 49
MRS. STRUTT'S SEMINARY 53

ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
LADY CHAFFINCH'S BALL (Double Plate) Frontispiece
THE GREAT MR. GRANDBOY AND THE HON. MRS.
DELMACARE 5
LADY ZEBU AND ADMIRAL MACAW 7
THE POACHER 13
THE DUEL BETWEEN MR. CHANTICLEER AND YOUNG
LEVERETT 17
MR. LEVERETT'S INTERVIEW WITH SHARPE VULTURE, ESQ.
23
THE ARREST OF MR. CHANTICLEER 25
THE DE MOUSAS 27
THE MARRIAGE SETTLEMENT 33
MR. TRUNK AND HIS ADVISERS 37
MR. PORCUPINE'S STUDIO 41

THE STRANGE VISITORS AT THE EXHIBITION 47
LORD FALCON AND HIS LONDON VISITORS 49
THE WALK TO HIGHGATE 53
THE TRAVELLING SHOWMAN 55

PREFACE.
AMONG the contributions to the Great Exhibition which, from their
position, did not acquire that popularity and praise which was due to
them, were some fine specimens of embroidery from Vienna and
various towns in Austria.
Hung high up, beyond the glance of the casual observer, the
elaborately-worked tapestry of Maria Fusinata attracted little attention.
Those, however, who had the good fortune to notice it were always
delighted with the excellent adaptation of the clever designs of
Grandville, which the embroiderer had so faithfully rendered. The
expression of the animals was most cleverly given, and the brightness
of the colours added much to the effect of the compositions.
Had Ploucquet added some of these designs to his "Reynard the Fox,"
he would have increased the attraction of his show, deservedly popular
as it was. Grandville, in these delineations of the faculties of animals, is
quite equal to Kaulbach; and, though the French artist had not the
honour of having his pictures copied in stuffed animals, they are
thought to be quite worthy of being formed into a volume as a sequel to
the "Comical Creatures from Wurtemberg."

LADY CHAFFINCH'S BALL.
HEIGH-HO! well, I am at home again at last. I wonder if I am the same
innocent little Linnet that left these bowers only three months ago.

What have I seen, where have I been?--or rather, What have I not seen,
where have I not been? I have visited China and Peru, Nova Scotia,
Trinidad, and Tuscany; I have been to Sweden, Egypt, Germany, and
Mexico, and I have some recollections of Sardinia, and the United
States. This is good travelling for three months, is it not?
Let me think: how shall I tell you about it? I will begin at the
beginning--
Three months ago, as I was sitting in our summer-house, warbling one
of my newest songs, our page Tom--Tom-tit we call him, he is such a
funny little fellow--brought me a letter that had just been left by the
postboy.
I have it by heart.
"My dear little Songbird,"--this is a name they gave to me from my
infancy, for they say I could sing before I could speak,--"My dear little
Songbird," thus the letter began, "All the world is coming to London
this spring to see the most wonderful of sights; try and persuade my
dear sister, that kind Mamma of yours, to let you pay your
long-promised visit to me. You must come in May, and you may stay
with me as long as you can bear to be away from your delightful home.
Let me know when I may expect you.
"Your loving Aunt, "JENNY GOLDFINCH."
And I remember that the envelope was addressed, "Lady Linnet, Gorse
Bush, Somersetshire;" and that in the left-hand corner there was written,
"For Miss Linnet."
Did not I fly to my "kind Mamma" as soon as I had read this note, and
when she had consented that