Now whether he was the young man of one of
my friends, or the brother of one of them, or indeed the brother of
all, I do not know; but they incontinently said that they must be
going, and went away up the path with friendly salutations. I need
not say that I found the lake and the moonlight rather dull after
their departure, and speedily found my way back to potted herrings
and whisky-and-water in the commercial room with my late fellow-
traveller. In the smoking-room there was a tall dark man with a
moustache, in an ulster coat, who had got the best place and was
monopolising most of the talk; and, as I came in, a whisper came
round to me from both sides, that this was the manager of a London
theatre. The presence of such a man was a great event for Keswick,
and I must own that the manager showed himself equal to his position.
He had a large fat pocket-book, from which he produced poem after
poem, written on the backs of letters or hotel-bills; and nothing
could be more humorous than his recitation of these elegant extracts,
except perhaps the anecdotes with which he varied the entertainment.
Seeing, I suppose, something less countrified in my appearance than
in most of the company, he singled me out to corroborate some
statements as to the depravity and vice of the aristocracy, and when
he went on to describe some gilded saloon experiences, I am proud to
say that he honoured my sagacity with one little covert wink before a
second time appealing to me for confirmation.
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