Book Description:
Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER V. MISS PHEASANT FEATHERS. ' Rum for a leddy ? ' asked the guard, raising a great half frozen, grog blossomy face out of the blue and white coil of a shawl cravat in which it was enveloped, ' Git in,' continued he, shouldering the leddy up the steps, without waiting for an answer, and in popped Pheasant feathers; when, slamming to the door, he cried ' vight 1' to the coachman, and on went the vehicle, leaving the enterer to settle into a seat by its shaking, after the manner of the omnibus cads, who seem to think all they have to do is to see people past the door. As it was, the new comer alighted upon Billy, who cannoned her off against the opposite door, and then made himself as big as he could, the better to incommode her. Pheasant feathers, however, having effected an entrance, seemed to regard herself as good as her neighbours, and forthwith proceeded to adjust the window to her liking, despite the eyeing and staring of Miss Willing. Billy was indignant at the nasty peppermint drop smelling woman intruding between the wind and his beauty, and inwardly resolved he would dock the guard's fee for his presumption in putting her there. Miss Willing gathered herself together as if afraid of contamination ; and, forgetting her role, declared, after a jolt received in one of her seat shiftings, that it was just the ' smallest coach she had ever been in.' She then began to scrutinise her female companion's attire. A cottage bonnet, made of pheasant feathers ; was there ever such a frightful thing seen, all the colours of the rainbow combined, must be a poacher's daughter, or a poulterer's. Paste egg coloured ribbons; what a cloth pelisse, puce colour in some parts, bath brick colour in others, nearly drab in others, thread bare all over. Dare say she thought herself ...
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