The Christmas Books of Mr MA Titmarsh Author:William Makepeace Thackeray 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: of candles; but he was not at all abashed by the circumstance, and grasping them both warmly by the hands, he instantly made himself at home. " As friends of my ... more »dear and talented friend Mick," so he is pleased to call me, " I'm deloighted, madam, to be made known to ye. Don't consider me in the light of a mere acquaintance! As for you, my dear madam, you put me so much in moind of my own blessed mother, now resoiding at Ballymulligan Castle, that I begin to love ye at first soight." At which speech Mr. Perkins getting rather alarmed, asked the Mulligan, whether he would take some wine, or go upstairs. " Faix," says Mulligan, " it's never too soon for good dhrink." And (although he smelt very much of whisky already) he drank a tumbler of wine " to the improvement of an acqueentence which comminces in a manner so deloightful." " Let's go upstairs, Mulligan," says I, and led the noble Irishman to the upper apartments, which were in a profound gloom, the candles not being yet illuminated, and where we surprised Miss Fanny, seated in the twilight at the piano, timidly trying the tunes of the polka which she danced so exquisitely that evening. She did not perceive the stranger at first ; but how she started when the Mulligan loomed upon her! " Heavenlee enchanthress ! " says Mulligan, " don't floy at the approach of the humblest of your sleeves ! Reshewm your pleece at that insthrument, which weeps harmonious, or smoils melojious, as you charrum it! Are you acqueented with the Oirish Melodies ? Can ye play, ' Who fears to talk of Nointy- eight?' the 'Shan Van Voght?' or the 'Dirge of Ollam Fodhlah?"' "Who's this mad chap that Titmarsh has brought?" I heard Master Bacon exclaim to Master Perkins. " Look ! how frightened Fanny looks !" " O poo! gals are always frightened," ...« less