Page:Nightmare Abbey (1818).djvu/211

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200
NIGHTMARE ABBEY.

conjointly by the respective disputants. Multitudinous questions and answers, en masse, composed a charivari, to which the genius of Rossini alone could have given a suitable accompaniment; and which was only terminated by Mrs. Hilary and Mr. Toobad retreating with the captive damsels. The whole party followed, with the exception of Scythrop, who threw himself into his arm-chair, crossed his left foot over his right knee, placed the hollow of his left hand on the interior ancle of his left leg, rested his right elbow on the elbow of the chair, placed the ball of his right thumb against his right temple, curved the forefinger along the upper part of his forehead, rested the point of the middle finger on the bridge of his nose, and the points of the two others on the lower part of the palm, fixed his eyes intently