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Thackeray, William Makepeace, 1811-1863

"The History of Pendennis"

Morgan, his man, made a
mystery of mystery of his wigs: curling them in private places:
introducing them mysteriously to his master's room;--nor without his head
of hair would the Major care to show himself to any member of his family,
or any acquaintance. He went to his apartment then and supplied these
deficiencies; he groaned, and moaned, and wheezed, and cursed Morgan
through his toilet, as an old buck will, who has been up all night with a
rheumatism, and has a long duty to perform. And finally being belted,
curled, and set straight, he descended upon the drawing-room, with a
grave majestic air, such as befitted one who was at once a man of
business and a man of fashion.
Pen was not there, however; only Helen, and little Laura sewing at her
knees; and to whom he never presented more than a forefinger, as he did
on this occasion after saluting his sister-in-law. Laura took the finger
trembling and dropped it--and then fled out of the room. Major Pendennis
did not want to keep her, or indeed to have her in the house at all, and
had his private reason for disapproving of her: which we may mention on
some future occasion.


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