passengers quickly ranged themselves round, and, with
his mouth watering as the female garcon lifted the
cover from the tureen, Mr. Jorrocks sat in the expectation
of seeing the rich contents ladled into the plates.
His countenance fell fifty per cent as the first spoonful
passed before his eyes.—“My vig, why
it’s water!” exclaimed he—“water,
I do declare, with worms[21] in it—I can’t
eat such stuff as that—it’s not man’s
meat—oh dear, oh dear, I fear I’ve
made a terrible mistake in coming to France!
Never saw such stuff as this at Bleaden’s or
Birch’s, or anywhere in the city.”
“I’ve travelled three hundred thousand
miles,” said the fat man, sending his plate from
him in disgust, “and never tasted such a mess
as this before.” “I’ll show
them up in The Times,” cried Mr. Jorrocks;
“and, look, what stuff is here—beef
boiled to rags!—well, I never, no never,
saw anything like this before. Oh, I wish I was
in Great Coram Street again!—I’m sure
I can’t live here—I wonder if I could
get a return chaise—waiter—garsoon—cuss!
Oh dear! I see Madame de Genlis is of
no use in a pinch—and yet what a dialogue
here is! Oh heavens! grant your poor Jorrocks
but one request, and that is the contents of a single
sentence. ’I want a roasted or boiled leg
of mutton, beef, hung beef, a quarter of mutton, mutton
chops, veal cutlets, stuffed tongue, dried tongue,
hog’s pudding, white sausage, meat sausage, chicken
with rice, a nice fat roast fowl, roast chicken with
cressy, roast or boiled pigeon, a fricassee of chicken,
sweet-bread, goose, lamb, calf’s cheek, calf’s
head, fresh pork, salt pork, cold meat, hash.’—But
where’s the use of titivating one’s appetite
with reading of such luxteries? Oh, what a wife
Madame de Genlis would have made for me! Oh dear,
oh dear, I shall die of hunger, I see —I
shall die of absolute famine—my stomach
thinks my throat’s cut already!” In the
height of his distress in came two turkeys and a couple
of fowls, and his countenance shone forth like an
April sun after a shower. “Come, this is
better,” said he; “I’ll trouble
you, sir, for a leg and a wing, and a bit of the breast,
for I’m really famished—oh hang!
the fellow’s a Frenchman, and I shall lose half
the day in looking it out in my dictionary. Oh
dear, oh dear, where’s the dinner dialogue!—well,
here’s something to that purpose. ’I
will send you a bit of this fowl.’ ’A
little bit of the fowl cannot hurt you.’—No,
nor a great bit either.—’Which do
you like best, leg or wing?’ ‘Qu’aimez-vous
le mieux, la cuisse ou l’aile?’”
Here the Countess Benvolio, who had been playing a
good knife and fork herself, pricked up her ears,
and guessing at Jorrocks’s wants, interceded
with her countryman and got him a plateful of fowl.
It was soon disposed of, however, and half a dish
of hashed hare or cat, that was placed within reach
of him shortly after, was quickly transferred into
his plate. A French dinner is admirably calculated
for leading the appetite on by easy stages to the