Page:Grimshaw, Bagshaw and Bradshaw.djvu/8

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GRIMSHAW, BAGSHAW, AND BRADSHAW.


Scene.An Apartment commonly furnished; at c. a recess, in which there is a small French bedstead, with curtains, &c. At l.c. a door; at r. c. another door; doors also at r. 2 e. and l. 2. e, a small table, chairs, &c.; small deal chest of drawers; Grimshaw discovered arranging the bed, c.

Grim. (yawns.) How sleepy I am, to be sure! I declare, I'm almost afraid to wink, in case I shouldn't be able to open my eyes again! (yawns) If the whole human race were now standing before me, inviting me with outstretched arms to throw myself into them, I should unhesitatingly select Morpheus as the individual into whose arms I should throw myself! (yawning again; then taking pillow, which he shakes and thumps.) I wonder what this pillow is composed of?—my old landlady says it's feathers—probably she meant quills—but I'm inclined to pronounce it chaff. 'Pon my life! it's rather early to go to bed—only nine o'clock. (hanging his watch up at head of bed) Just the time when the majority of young men of my age begin the day. But people's tastes differ; besides, after being actively engaged in a perpendicular position all day long, I am only too glad to indulge in a horizontal position at night—especially as I have to be perpendicular again at half-past six in the morning—this is to be a chemist and druggist—I mean, a shopman to a chemist and druggist—and such a chemist and druggist! If the shutters are not down and shop swept by seven o'clock, he turns all sorts of colors like the bottles in his window, and addresses me in such dreadful bad language, that I really feel sometimes inclined to knock him down with one of his own pestles, preparatory to pounding him in one of his own mortars. I really wonder some ingenious creature or other doesn't immortalize himself by inventing shutters that would put themselves up at night, and take themselves down in the morning! I haven't been to the "Exhibition" yet.