The Book of Three Hundred Anecdotes - Historical, Literary, and Humorous—A New Selection by Various
page 73 of 185 (39%)
page 73 of 185 (39%)
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placed, on each side of the Italian marble chimney-piece, and his whole air
bespeaking the consciousness of one quite at home. He turned round--_it was my friend of the ball-alley_. I rushed instinctively into his arms, and burst into tears. Words cannot describe the scene which followed:--"You are right, sir; you are right. The chimney-piece is your's--the pictures are your's--the house is your's. You gave me all I have--my friend--my father--my benefactor!" He dined with me; and in the evening I caught the tear glistening in his fine blue eye, when he saw poor little Jack, the creature of his bounty, rising in the House of Commons, to reply to a _Right_ Honourable. Poor Boyse! he is now gone; and no suitor had a larger deposit of practical benevolence in the Court above. This is his wine--let us drink to his memory." GHOSTS. Bishop Fowler, of Gloucester, and Justice Powell, had frequent altercations on the subject of ghosts. The bishop was a zealous defender of the reality of them; the justice was somewhat sceptical. The bishop one day met his friend, and the justice told him that since their last conference on the subject, he had had ocular demonstration, which had convinced him of the existence of ghosts. "I rejoice at your conversion," replied the bishop; "give me the circumstance which produced it, with all the particulars:-- ocular demonstration, you say?"--"Yes, my lord; as I lay last night in my bed, about the twelfth hour, I was awakened by an extraordinary noise, and heard something coming up stairs!"--"Go on, sir."--"Fearfully alarmed at the noise, I drew my curtain--." "Proceed."--"And saw a faint glimmering |
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