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Thackeray, William Makepeace, 1811-1863

"The History of Pendennis"

--I know the Major fell
in love with you, Miss Foth: he said so."
"So she may be Mrs. Pendennis still," Bows said with a sneer--"No, thank
you, Mr. F.--I've dined."
"Sure, that was at three o'clock," said Miss Costigan, who had an honest
appetite, "and I can't go without you."
"We'll have lobster-salad and champagne," said the little monster, who
could not construe a line of Latin, or do a sum beyond the Rule of Three.
Now, for lobster-salad and champagne in an honourable manner, Miss
Costigan would have gone anywhere--and Major Pendennis actually found
himself at seven o'clock seated at a dinner-table in company with Mr.
Bows, a professional fiddler, and Miss Costigan, whose father had wanted
to blow his brains out a few hours before.
To make the happy meeting complete, Mr. Foker, who knew Costigan's
haunts, despatched Stoopid to the club at the Magpie, where the General
was in the act of singing a pathetic song, and brought him off to supper.
To find his daughter and Bows seated at the board was a surprise indeed--
Major Pendennis laughed, and cordially held out his hand, which the
General Officer grasped avec effusion as the French say.


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