Comical People | Page 3

we beheld her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen, and His Royal

Highness the Prince Albert; and with them were those dear children,
the Princess Royal and the Prince of Wales--Heaven bless them! How I
did long to kiss them both. When the last wheel of the royal carriage
was quite out of sight, we turned to look at the palace that the Queen
lived in, and Drinkwater pointed out to me the funniest creature that
ever I saw standing on a pedestal by the gate. He said it was a Unicorn,
and that it was put there on purpose to make the Queen laugh. After we
had counted the thousand and one windows in the front of the Palace,
we strolled along the pleasant path by the little lake, and watched the
children as they came with cakes in their hands to feed those greedy
geese, that seemed as if they would gobble up cakes, and children, and
all.
While we were resting ourselves on a seat under the trees, some distant
relations of ours, the Sparrowes of Evryware, passed by. It was well
they did not see us, for some of them know me, and I must confess that
I should not like to have been seen speaking to such shabby, ill-looking
fellows. I wonder what their relations in the country would have said,
had they seen them in such wretched condition. Their coats were torn,
one of them had lost part of his tail, and their faces looked as if they
had not been washed since the last shower of rain. Fearing lest the
Sparrowes should return and discover us, I asked Drinkwater to take
the ferry-boat to the other side; and just as we landed we had the
pleasure of seeing the great Lord Bison introduce his sister, Lady
Dorothy Zebu, to the renowned Admiral Macaw. You should have seen
the polite bow of the admiral, and the delightful curtsey of the lady. I
was charmed beyond expression. Lord Bison has a fine military air;
they say he fought many battles on the American prairies. Lady
Dorothy, who has just come from India, has, on the contrary, a mild,
benignant countenance, and, I am told, is very religious. The admiral
was covered with gold, and purple, and scarlet, and looked for all the
world like one of his namesakes in that beautiful place, the Zoological
Gardens.
This was one of my most eventful days in London, and I shall long
remember it.

But now I must tell you of that evening--shall I confess it? the happiest
evening of my life--when Drinkwater and I went to Lady Chaffinch's
ball. My Aunt was too indisposed to accompany us; she therefore
called her son, and told him to take great care of me, as much as if I
were his own sister. I have an idea that if my dear Aunt knew all, she
would have said that he rather exceeded his instructions; but never
mind, he took great care of me.
The carriage came for us at ten o'clock, when, had I been at Gorse Bush,
I should have been fast asleep on my perch,--as Drinkwater says, for he
loves to plague me about being a Linnet. My Cousin was beautifully
attired; he wore a most superb cravat, of a deep ruby colour, and an
under-waistcoat of the brightest amber; but, in fact, he always attracts
admiration; and I think, without vanity, that I looked extremely well in
the new brown dress I took with me from home. At a quarter past ten
we entered Lady Chaffinch's ball-room, and, for a moment, I was
perfectly bewildered; indeed, Drinkwater had to apologise to our
hostess for my strange behaviour by saying I was not quite well.
However, her ladyship, whom I had often seen in the country, was very
kind to me, led me to a seat, and began asking after her old friends.
This soon brought me to my senses; and after a little while I could bear
to look at the dazzling chandeliers, the magnificent pier-glasses, and
the splendidly-dressed people, without being giddy at the sight. Soon
after our arrival, the band commenced playing, and some of the
company arranged themselves for a dance. Old Sir Cayman Alligator,
an East-Indian Director, led out the graceful Lady Caroline Giraffe,
who, I must say, deserved the praise young Nightingale bestowed upon
her, when he said, she was one of "Nature's nobility." I could not but
admire her large, full eyes, which looked at you so tenderly, and the
gentle bending of her beautiful neck; and then, what a contrast she was
to her horrid-looking partner! I suppose he must be very rich, or I
cannot think why Lady Chaffinch should have invited him. Opposite to
them stood young Lord Crowe, a younger