Puppets at Large [Paperback]

F. Anstey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 4, 2009

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: THE CLASSICAL SCHOLAR IN REDUCED CIRCUMSTANCES. YOU are, let us say, a young professional man in chambers or offices, incompetently guarded by an idiot boy whom you dare not trust with the responsibility of denying you to strangers. You hear a knock at your outer door, followed by conversation in the clerk's room, after which your salaried idiot announces " A Gentleman to see you." Enter a dingy and dismal little man in threadbare black, who advances with an air of mysterious importance. " I think," he begins, " I 'ave the pleasure of speaking to Mr. " (whatever your name is.) " I take the liberty of calling, Mr. , to consult you on a matter of the utmost importance, and I shall feel personally oblige if you will take precautions for our conversation not being over'eard." He looks grubby for a client—but appearances are deceptive, and you offer him a seat, assuring him thathe may speak with perfect security—whereupon he proceeds in a lowered voice. " The story I am about to reveal," he says, smoothing a slimy tall hat, " is of a nature so revolting, so 'orrible in its details, that I can 'ardly bring myself to speak it to any 'uming ear! " (Here you will probably prepare to take notes.) " You see before you one who is of 'igh birth but low circumstances ! " (At this you give him up as a possible client, but a mixture of diffidence and curiosity compels you to listen.) " Yes, Sir, I was ' fruges consumeary nati.' I 'ave received a neducation more befitting a dook than my present condition. Nursed in the lap of haffluence, I was trained to fill the lofty position which was to have been my lot. But, ' necessitas,' Sir, as you are aware, 'necessitas non abat lejim,' and such I found it. While still receiving a classical education at Cambridge College—(praps you are y...

Product Details

• Paperback: 62 pages
• Publisher: General Books LLC (August 4, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1458960056
• ISBN-13: 978-1458960054
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)