summaryrefslogtreecommitdiff
path: root/927-h
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
authorRoger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org>2025-10-15 05:16:07 -0700
committerRoger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org>2025-10-15 05:16:07 -0700
commitbf87b13ae02a4b0bbec3db97feddcc5f9458d572 (patch)
tree6aa883271c249ece44a2ac8a0eacc995c9e33627 /927-h
initial commit of ebook 927HEADmain
Diffstat (limited to '927-h')
-rw-r--r--927-h/927-h.htm1296
-rw-r--r--927-h/images/coverb.jpgbin0 -> 244736 bytes
-rw-r--r--927-h/images/covers.jpgbin0 -> 36479 bytes
3 files changed, 1296 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/927-h/927-h.htm b/927-h/927-h.htm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7cd4896
--- /dev/null
+++ b/927-h/927-h.htm
@@ -0,0 +1,1296 @@
+<!DOCTYPE html
+ PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
+ "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">
+<head>
+<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII" />
+<title>The Lamplighter, by Charles Dickens</title>
+ <style type="text/css">
+/*<![CDATA[ XML blockout */
+<!--
+ P { margin-top: .75em;
+ margin-bottom: .75em;
+ }
+ P.gutsumm { margin-left: 5%;}
+ P.poetry {margin-left: 3%; }
+ .GutSmall { font-size: 0.7em; }
+ H1, H2 {
+ text-align: center;
+ margin-top: 2em;
+ margin-bottom: 2em;
+ }
+ H3, H4, H5 {
+ text-align: center;
+ margin-top: 1em;
+ margin-bottom: 1em;
+ }
+ BODY{margin-left: 10%;
+ margin-right: 10%;
+ }
+ table { border-collapse: collapse; }
+table {margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;}
+ td { vertical-align: top; border: 1px solid black;}
+ td p { margin: 0.2em; }
+ .blkquot {margin-left: 4em; margin-right: 4em;} /* block indent */
+
+ .smcap {font-variant: small-caps;}
+
+ .pagenum {position: absolute;
+ left: 92%;
+ font-size: small;
+ text-align: right;
+ font-weight: normal;
+ color: gray;
+ }
+ img { border: none; }
+ img.dc { float: left; width: 50px; height: 50px; }
+ p.gutindent { margin-left: 2em; }
+ div.gapspace { height: 0.8em; }
+ div.gapline { height: 0.8em; width: 100%; border-top: 1px solid;}
+ div.gapmediumline { height: 0.3em; width: 40%; margin-left:30%;
+ border-top: 1px solid; }
+ div.gapmediumdoubleline { height: 0.3em; width: 40%; margin-left:30%;
+ border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;}
+ div.gapshortdoubleline { height: 0.3em; width: 20%;
+ margin-left: 40%; border-top: 1px solid;
+ border-bottom: 1px solid; }
+ div.gapdoubleline { height: 0.3em; width: 50%;
+ margin-left: 25%; border-top: 1px solid;
+ border-bottom: 1px solid;}
+ div.gapshortline { height: 0.3em; width: 20%; margin-left:40%;
+ border-top: 1px solid; }
+ .citation {vertical-align: super;
+ font-size: .8em;
+ text-decoration: none;}
+ img.floatleft { float: left;
+ margin-right: 1em;
+ margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; }
+ img.floatright { float: right;
+ margin-left: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;
+ margin-bottom: 0.5em; }
+ img.clearcenter {display: block;
+ margin-left: auto;
+ margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0.5em;
+ margin-bottom: 0.5em}
+ -->
+ /* XML end ]]>*/
+ </style>
+</head>
+<body>
+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Lamplighter, by Charles Dickens
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
+other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of
+the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
+www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have
+to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.
+
+
+
+
+Title: The Lamplighter
+
+
+Author: Charles Dickens
+
+
+
+Release Date: January 11, 2015 [eBook #927]
+[This file was first posted on May 30, 1997]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LAMPLIGHTER***
+</pre>
+<p>Transcribed from the 1905 Chapman &amp; Hall edition (<i>The
+Works of Charles Dickens</i>, volume 28) by David Price, email
+ccx074@pglaf.org</p>
+<p style="text-align: center">
+<a href="images/coverb.jpg">
+<img alt=
+"Book cover"
+title=
+"Book cover"
+ src="images/covers.jpg" />
+</a></p>
+<h1><span class="smcap">The Lamplighter</span></h1>
+
+<div class="gapspace">&nbsp;</div>
+<p style="text-align: center">By CHARLES DICKENS</p>
+
+<div class="gapspace">&nbsp;</div>
+<p style="text-align: center">LONDON: CHAPMAN &amp; HALL, LD.<br
+/>
+NEW YORK: CHARLES SCRIBNER&rsquo;S SONS<br />
+1905</p>
+
+<div class="gapspace">&nbsp;</div>
+<p>&lsquo;<span class="smcap">If</span> you talk of Murphy and
+Francis Moore, gentlemen,&rsquo; said the lamplighter who was in
+the chair, &lsquo;I mean to say that neither of &rsquo;em ever
+had any more to do with the stars than Tom Grig had.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;And what had <i>he</i> to do with &rsquo;em?&rsquo;
+asked the lamplighter who officiated as vice.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Nothing at all,&rsquo; replied the other; &lsquo;just
+exactly nothing at all.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Do you mean to say you don&rsquo;t believe in Murphy,
+then?&rsquo; demanded the lamplighter who had opened the
+discussion.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;I mean to say I believe in Tom Grig,&rsquo; replied the
+chairman.&nbsp; &lsquo;Whether I believe in Murphy, or not, is a
+matter between me and my conscience; and whether Murphy believes
+in himself, or not, is a matter between him and his
+conscience.&nbsp; Gentlemen, I drink your healths.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>The lamplighter who did the company this honour, was seated in
+the chimney-corner of a certain tavern, which has been, time out
+of mind, the Lamplighters&rsquo; House of Call.&nbsp; He sat in
+the midst of a circle of lamplighters, and was the cacique, or
+chief of the tribe.</p>
+<p>If any of our readers have had the good fortune to behold a
+lamplighter&rsquo;s funeral, they will not be surprised to learn
+that lamplighters are a strange and primitive people; that they
+rigidly adhere to old ceremonies and customs which have been
+handed down among them from father to son since the first public
+lamp was lighted out of doors; that they intermarry, and betroth
+their children in infancy; that they enter into no plots or
+conspiracies (for who ever heard of a traitorous lamplighter?);
+that they commit no crimes against the laws of their country
+(there being no instance of a murderous or burglarious
+lamplighter); that they are, in short, notwithstanding their
+apparently volatile and restless character, a highly moral and
+reflective people: having among themselves as many traditional
+observances as the Jews, and being, as a body, if not as old as
+the hills, at least as old as the streets.&nbsp; It is an article
+of their creed that the first faint glimmering of true
+civilisation shone in the first street-light maintained at the
+public expense.&nbsp; They trace their existence and high
+position in the public esteem, in a direct line to the heathen
+mythology; and hold that the history of Prometheus himself is but
+a pleasant fable, whereof the true hero is a lamplighter.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Gentlemen,&rsquo; said the lamplighter in the chair,
+&lsquo;I drink your healths.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;And perhaps, Sir,&rsquo; said the vice, holding up his
+glass, and rising a little way off his seat and sitting down
+again, in token that he recognised and returned the compliment,
+&lsquo;perhaps you will add to that condescension by telling us
+who Tom Grig was, and how he came to be connected in your mind
+with Francis Moore, Physician.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Hear, hear, hear!&rsquo; cried the lamplighters
+generally.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Tom Grig, gentlemen,&rsquo; said the chairman,
+&lsquo;was one of us; and it happened to him, as it don&rsquo;t
+often happen to a public character in our line, that he had his
+what-you-may-call-it cast.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;His head?&rsquo; said the vice.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;No,&rsquo; replied the chairman, &lsquo;not his
+head.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;His face, perhaps?&rsquo; said the vice.&nbsp;
+&lsquo;No, not his face.&rsquo;&nbsp; &lsquo;His
+legs?&rsquo;&nbsp; &lsquo;No, not his legs.&rsquo;&nbsp; Nor yet
+his arms, nor his hands, nor his feet, nor his chest, all of
+which were severally suggested.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;His nativity, perhaps?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;That&rsquo;s it,&rsquo; said the chairman, awakening
+from his thoughtful attitude at the suggestion.&nbsp; &lsquo;His
+nativity.&nbsp; That&rsquo;s what Tom had cast,
+gentlemen.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;In plaster?&rsquo; asked the vice.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;I don&rsquo;t rightly know how it&rsquo;s done,&rsquo;
+returned the chairman.&nbsp; &lsquo;But I suppose it
+was.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And there he stopped as if that were all he had to say;
+whereupon there arose a murmur among the company, which at length
+resolved itself into a request, conveyed through the vice, that
+he would go on.&nbsp; This being exactly what the chairman
+wanted, he mused for a little time, performed that agreeable
+ceremony which is popularly termed wetting one&rsquo;s whistle,
+and went on thus:</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Tom Grig, gentlemen, was, as I have said, one of us;
+and I may go further, and say he was an ornament to us, and such
+a one as only the good old times of oil and cotton could have
+produced.&nbsp; Tom&rsquo;s family, gentlemen, were all
+lamplighters.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Not the ladies, I hope?&rsquo; asked the vice.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;They had talent enough for it, Sir,&rsquo; rejoined the
+chairman, &lsquo;and would have been, but for the prejudices of
+society.&nbsp; Let women have their rights, Sir, and the females
+of Tom&rsquo;s family would have been every one of &rsquo;em in
+office.&nbsp; But that emancipation hasn&rsquo;t come yet, and
+hadn&rsquo;t then, and consequently they confined themselves to
+the bosoms of their families, cooked the dinners, mended the
+clothes, minded the children, comforted their husbands, and
+attended to the house-keeping generally.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s a hard
+thing upon the women, gentlemen, that they are limited to such a
+sphere of action as this; very hard.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;I happen to know all about Tom, gentlemen, from the
+circumstance of his uncle by his mother&rsquo;s side, having been
+my particular friend.&nbsp; His (that&rsquo;s Tom&rsquo;s
+uncle&rsquo;s) fate was a melancholy one.&nbsp; Gas was the death
+of him.&nbsp; When it was first talked of, he laughed.&nbsp; He
+wasn&rsquo;t angry; he laughed at the credulity of human
+nature.&nbsp; &ldquo;They might as well talk,&rdquo; he says,
+&ldquo;of laying on an everlasting succession of
+glow-worms;&rdquo; and then he laughed again, partly at his joke,
+and partly at poor humanity.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;In course of time, however, the thing got ground, the
+experiment was made, and they lighted up Pall Mall.&nbsp;
+Tom&rsquo;s uncle went to see it.&nbsp; I&rsquo;ve heard that he
+fell off his ladder fourteen times that night, from weakness, and
+that he would certainly have gone on falling till he killed
+himself, if his last tumble hadn&rsquo;t been into a wheelbarrow
+which was going his way, and humanely took him home.&nbsp;
+&ldquo;I foresee in this,&rdquo; says Tom&rsquo;s uncle faintly,
+and taking to his bed as he spoke&mdash;&ldquo;I foresee in
+this,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;the breaking up of our
+profession.&nbsp; There&rsquo;s no more going the rounds to trim
+by daylight, no more dribbling down of the oil on the hats and
+bonnets of ladies and gentlemen when one feels in spirits.&nbsp;
+Any low fellow can light a gas-lamp.&nbsp; And it&rsquo;s all
+up.&rdquo;&nbsp; In this state of mind, he petitioned the
+government for&mdash;I want a word again, gentlemen&mdash;what do
+you call that which they give to people when it&rsquo;s found
+out, at last, that they&rsquo;ve never been of any use, and have
+been paid too much for doing nothing?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Compensation?&rsquo; suggested the vice.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;That&rsquo;s it,&rsquo; said the chairman.&nbsp;
+&lsquo;Compensation.&nbsp; They didn&rsquo;t give it him, though,
+and then he got very fond of his country all at once, and went
+about saying that gas was a death-blow to his native land, and
+that it was a plot of the radicals to ruin the country and
+destroy the oil and cotton trade for ever, and that the whales
+would go and kill themselves privately, out of sheer spite and
+vexation at not being caught.&nbsp; At last he got right-down
+cracked; called his tobacco-pipe a gas-pipe; thought his tears
+were lamp-oil; and went on with all manner of nonsense of that
+sort, till one night he hung himself on a lamp-iron in Saint
+Martin&rsquo;s Lane, and there was an end of <i>him</i>.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Tom loved him, gentlemen, but he survived it.&nbsp; He
+shed a tear over his grave, got very drunk, spoke a funeral
+oration that night in the watch-house, and was fined five
+shillings for it, in the morning.&nbsp; Some men are none the
+worse for this sort of thing.&nbsp; Tom was one of
+&rsquo;em.&nbsp; He went that very afternoon on a new beat: as
+clear in his head, and as free from fever as Father Mathew
+himself.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Tom&rsquo;s new beat, gentlemen, was&mdash;I
+can&rsquo;t exactly say where, for that he&rsquo;d never tell;
+but I know it was in a quiet part of town, where there were some
+queer old houses.&nbsp; I have always had it in my head that it
+must have been somewhere near Canonbury Tower in Islington, but
+that&rsquo;s a matter of opinion.&nbsp; Wherever it was, he went
+upon it, with a bran-new ladder, a white hat, a brown holland
+jacket and trousers, a blue neck-kerchief, and a sprig of
+full-blown double wall-flower in his button-hole.&nbsp; Tom was
+always genteel in his appearance, and I have heard from the best
+judges, that if he had left his ladder at home that afternoon,
+you might have took him for a lord.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;He was always merry, was Tom, and such a singer, that
+if there was any encouragement for native talent, he&rsquo;d have
+been at the opera.&nbsp; He was on his ladder, lighting his first
+lamp, and singing to himself in a manner more easily to be
+conceived than described, when he hears the clock strike five,
+and suddenly sees an old gentleman with a telescope in his hand,
+throw up a window and look at him very hard.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Tom didn&rsquo;t know what could be passing in this old
+gentleman&rsquo;s mind.&nbsp; He thought it likely enough that he
+might be saying within himself, &ldquo;Here&rsquo;s a new
+lamplighter&mdash;a good-looking young fellow&mdash;shall I stand
+something to drink?&rdquo;&nbsp; Thinking this possible, he keeps
+quite still, pretending to be very particular about the wick, and
+looks at the old gentleman sideways, seeming to take no notice of
+him.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Gentlemen, he was one of the strangest and most
+mysterious-looking files that ever Tom clapped his eyes on.&nbsp;
+He was dressed all slovenly and untidy, in a great gown of a kind
+of bed-furniture pattern, with a cap of the same on his head; and
+a long old flapped waistcoat; with no braces, no strings, very
+few buttons&mdash;in short, with hardly any of those artificial
+contrivances that hold society together.&nbsp; Tom knew by these
+signs, and by his not being shaved, and by his not being
+over-clean, and by a sort of wisdom not quite awake, in his face,
+that he was a scientific old gentleman.&nbsp; He often told me
+that if he could have conceived the possibility of the whole
+Royal Society being boiled down into one man, he should have said
+the old gentleman&rsquo;s body was that Body.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;The old gentleman claps the telescope to his eye, looks
+all round, sees nobody else in sight, stares at Tom again, and
+cries out very loud:</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Hal-loa!&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Halloa, Sir,&rdquo; says Tom from the ladder;
+&ldquo;and halloa again, if you come to that.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Here&rsquo;s an extraordinary fulfilment,&rdquo;
+says the old gentleman, &ldquo;of a prediction of the
+planets.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Is there?&rdquo; says Tom.&nbsp;
+&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very glad to hear it.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Young man,&rdquo; says the old gentleman,
+&ldquo;you don&rsquo;t know me.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; says Tom, &ldquo;I have not that
+honour; but I shall be happy to drink your health,
+notwithstanding.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;I read,&rdquo; cries the old gentleman, without
+taking any notice of this politeness on Tom&rsquo;s
+part&mdash;&ldquo;I read what&rsquo;s going to happen, in the
+stars.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Tom thanked him for the information, and begged to know
+if anything particular was going to happen in the stars, in the
+course of a week or so; but the old gentleman, correcting him,
+explained that he read in the stars what was going to happen on
+dry land, and that he was acquainted with all the celestial
+bodies.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;I hope they&rsquo;re all well, Sir,&rdquo; says
+Tom,&mdash;&ldquo;everybody.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Hush!&rdquo; cries the old gentleman.&nbsp;
+&ldquo;I have consulted the book of Fate with rare and wonderful
+success.&nbsp; I am versed in the great sciences of astrology and
+astronomy.&nbsp; In my house here, I have every description of
+apparatus for observing the course and motion of the
+planets.&nbsp; Six months ago, I derived from this source, the
+knowledge that precisely as the clock struck five this afternoon
+a stranger would present himself&mdash;the destined husband of my
+young and lovely niece&mdash;in reality of illustrious and high
+descent, but whose birth would be enveloped in uncertainty and
+mystery.&nbsp; Don&rsquo;t tell me yours isn&rsquo;t,&rdquo; says
+the old gentleman, who was in such a hurry to speak that he
+couldn&rsquo;t get the words out fast enough, &ldquo;for I know
+better.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Gentlemen, Tom was so astonished when he heard him say
+this, that he could hardly keep his footing on the ladder, and
+found it necessary to hold on by the lamp-post.&nbsp; There
+<i>was</i> a mystery about his birth.&nbsp; His mother had always
+admitted it.&nbsp; Tom had never known who was his father, and
+some people had gone so far as to say that even <i>she</i> was in
+doubt.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;While he was in this state of amazement, the old
+gentleman leaves the window, bursts out of the house-door, shakes
+the ladder, and Tom, like a ripe pumpkin, comes sliding down into
+his arms.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Let me embrace you,&rdquo; he says, folding his
+arms about him, and nearly lighting up his old bed-furniture gown
+at Tom&rsquo;s link.&nbsp; &ldquo;You&rsquo;re a man of noble
+aspect.&nbsp; Everything combines to prove the accuracy of my
+observations.&nbsp; You have had mysterious promptings within
+you,&rdquo; he says; &ldquo;I know you have had whisperings of
+greatness, eh?&rdquo; he says.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;I think I have,&rdquo; says Tom&mdash;Tom was
+one of those who can persuade themselves to anything they
+like&mdash;&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve often thought I wasn&rsquo;t the
+small beer I was taken for.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;You were right,&rdquo; cries the old gentleman,
+hugging him again.&nbsp; &ldquo;Come in.&nbsp; My niece awaits
+us.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Is the young lady tolerable good-looking,
+Sir?&rdquo; says Tom, hanging fire rather, as he thought of her
+playing the piano, and knowing French, and being up to all manner
+of accomplishments.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;She&rsquo;s beautiful!&rdquo; cries the old
+gentleman, who was in such a terrible bustle that he was all in a
+perspiration.&nbsp; &ldquo;She has a graceful carriage, an
+exquisite shape, a sweet voice, a countenance beaming with
+animation and expression; and the eye,&rdquo; he says, rubbing
+his hands, &ldquo;of a startled fawn.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Tom supposed this might mean, what was called among his
+circle of acquaintance, &ldquo;a game eye;&rdquo; and, with a
+view to this defect, inquired whether the young lady had any
+cash.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;She has five thousand pounds,&rdquo; cries the
+old gentleman.&nbsp; &ldquo;But what of that? what of that?&nbsp;
+A word in your ear.&nbsp; I&rsquo;m in search of the
+philosopher&rsquo;s stone.&nbsp; I have very nearly found
+it&mdash;not quite.&nbsp; It turns everything to gold;
+that&rsquo;s its property.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Tom naturally thought it must have a deal of property;
+and said that when the old gentleman did get it, he hoped
+he&rsquo;d be careful to keep it in the family.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Certainly,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;of
+course.&nbsp; Five thousand pounds!&nbsp; What&rsquo;s five
+thousand pounds to us?&nbsp; What&rsquo;s five million?&rdquo; he
+says.&nbsp; &ldquo;What&rsquo;s five thousand million?&nbsp;
+Money will be nothing to us.&nbsp; We shall never be able to
+spend it fast enough.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll try what we can do, Sir,&rdquo; says
+Tom.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;We will,&rdquo; says the old gentleman.&nbsp;
+&ldquo;Your name?&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Grig,&rdquo; says Tom.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;The old gentleman embraced him again, very tight; and
+without speaking another word, dragged him into the house in such
+an excited manner, that it was as much as Tom could do to take
+his link and ladder with him, and put them down in the
+passage.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Gentlemen, if Tom hadn&rsquo;t been always remarkable
+for his love of truth, I think you would still have believed him
+when he said that all this was like a dream.&nbsp; There is no
+better way for a man to find out whether he is really asleep or
+awake, than calling for something to eat.&nbsp; If he&rsquo;s in
+a dream, gentlemen, he&rsquo;ll find something wanting in
+flavour, depend upon it.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Tom explained his doubts to the old gentleman, and said
+that if there was any cold meat in the house, it would ease his
+mind very much to test himself at once.&nbsp; The old gentleman
+ordered up a venison pie, a small ham, and a bottle of very old
+Madeira.&nbsp; At the first mouthful of pie and the first glass
+of wine, Tom smacks his lips and cries out, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m
+awake&mdash;wide awake;&rdquo; and to prove that he was so,
+gentlemen, he made an end of &rsquo;em both.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;When Tom had finished his meal (which he never spoke of
+afterwards without tears in his eyes), the old gentleman hugs him
+again, and says, &ldquo;Noble stranger! let us visit my young and
+lovely niece.&rdquo;&nbsp; Tom, who was a little elevated with
+the wine, replies, &ldquo;The noble stranger is
+agreeable!&rdquo;&nbsp; At which words the old gentleman took him
+by the hand, and led him to the parlour; crying as he opened the
+door, &ldquo;Here is Mr. Grig, the favourite of the
+planets!&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;I will not attempt a description of female beauty,
+gentlemen, for every one of us has a model of his own that suits
+his own taste best.&nbsp; In this parlour that I&rsquo;m speaking
+of, there were two young ladies; and if every gentleman present,
+will imagine two models of his own in their places, and will be
+kind enough to polish &rsquo;em up to the very highest pitch of
+perfection, he will then have a faint conception of their
+uncommon radiance.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Besides these two young ladies, there was their
+waiting-woman, that under any other circumstances Tom would have
+looked upon as a Venus; and besides her, there was a tall, thin,
+dismal-faced young gentleman, half man and half boy, dressed in a
+childish suit of clothes very much too short in the legs and
+arms; and looking, according to Tom&rsquo;s comparison, like one
+of the wax juveniles from a tailor&rsquo;s door, grown up and run
+to seed.&nbsp; Now, this youngster stamped his foot upon the
+ground and looked very fierce at Tom, and Tom looked fierce at
+him&mdash;for to tell the truth, gentlemen, Tom more than half
+suspected that when they entered the room he was kissing one of
+the young ladies; and for anything Tom knew, you observe, it
+might be <i>his</i> young lady&mdash;which was not pleasant.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; says Tom, &ldquo;before we proceed
+any further, will you have the goodness to inform me who this
+young Salamander&rdquo;&mdash;Tom called him that for
+aggravation, you perceive, gentlemen&mdash;&ldquo;who this young
+Salamander may be?&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;That, Mr. Grig,&rdquo; says the old gentleman,
+&ldquo;is my little boy.&nbsp; He was christened Galileo Isaac
+Newton Flamstead.&nbsp; Don&rsquo;t mind him.&nbsp; He&rsquo;s a
+mere child.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;And a very fine child too,&rdquo; says
+Tom&mdash;still aggravating, you&rsquo;ll observe&mdash;&ldquo;of
+his age, and as good as fine, I have no doubt.&nbsp; How do you
+do, my man?&rdquo; with which kind and patronising expressions,
+Tom reached up to pat him on the head, and quoted two lines about
+little boys, from Doctor Watts&rsquo;s Hymns, which he had learnt
+at a Sunday School.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;It was very easy to see, gentlemen, by this
+youngster&rsquo;s frowning and by the waiting-maid&rsquo;s
+tossing her head and turning up her nose, and by the young ladies
+turning their backs and talking together at the other end of the
+room, that nobody but the old gentleman took very kindly to the
+noble stranger.&nbsp; Indeed, Tom plainly heard the waiting-woman
+say of her master, that so far from being able to read the stars
+as he pretended, she didn&rsquo;t believe he knew his letters in
+&rsquo;em, or at best that he had got further than words in one
+syllable; but Tom, not minding this (for he was in spirits after
+the Madeira), looks with an agreeable air towards the young
+ladies, and, kissing his hand to both, says to the old gentleman,
+&ldquo;Which is which?&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;This,&rdquo; says the old gentleman, leading out
+the handsomest, if one of &rsquo;em could possibly be said to be
+handsomer than the other&mdash;&ldquo;this is my niece, Miss
+Fanny Barker.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;If you&rsquo;ll permit me, Miss,&rdquo; says
+Tom, &ldquo;being a noble stranger and a favourite of the
+planets, I will conduct myself as such.&rdquo;&nbsp; With these
+words, he kisses the young lady in a very affable way, turns to
+the old gentleman, slaps him on the back, and says,
+&ldquo;When&rsquo;s it to come off, my buck?&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;The young lady coloured so deep, and her lip trembled
+so much, gentlemen, that Tom really thought she was going to
+cry.&nbsp; But she kept her feelings down, and turning to the old
+gentleman, says, &ldquo;Dear uncle, though you have the absolute
+disposal of my hand and fortune, and though you mean well in
+disposing of &rsquo;em thus, I ask you whether you don&rsquo;t
+think this is a mistake?&nbsp; Don&rsquo;t you think, dear
+uncle,&rdquo; she says, &ldquo;that the stars must be in
+error?&nbsp; Is it not possible that the comet may have put
+&rsquo;em out?&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;The stars,&rdquo; says the old gentleman,
+&ldquo;couldn&rsquo;t make a mistake if they tried.&nbsp;
+Emma,&rdquo; he says to the other young lady.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Yes, papa,&rdquo; says she.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;The same day that makes your cousin Mrs. Grig
+will unite you to the gifted Mooney.&nbsp; No
+remonstrance&mdash;no tears.&nbsp; Now, Mr. Grig, let me conduct
+you to that hallowed ground, that philosophical retreat, where my
+friend and partner, the gifted Mooney of whom I have just now
+spoken, is even now pursuing those discoveries which shall enrich
+us with the precious metal, and make us masters of the
+world.&nbsp; Come, Mr. Grig,&rdquo; he says.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;With all my heart, Sir,&rdquo; replies Tom;
+&ldquo;and luck to the gifted Mooney, say I&mdash;not so much on
+his account as for our worthy selves!&rdquo;&nbsp; With this
+sentiment, Tom kissed his hand to the ladies again, and followed
+him out; having the gratification to perceive, as he looked back,
+that they were all hanging on by the arms and legs of Galileo
+Isaac Newton Flamstead, to prevent him from following the noble
+stranger, and tearing him to pieces.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Gentlemen, Tom&rsquo;s father-in-law that was to be,
+took him by the hand, and having lighted a little lamp, led him
+across a paved court-yard at the back of the house, into a very
+large, dark, gloomy room: filled with all manner of bottles,
+globes, books, telescopes, crocodiles, alligators, and other
+scientific instruments of every kind.&nbsp; In the centre of this
+room was a stove or furnace, with what Tom called a pot, but
+which in my opinion was a crucible, in full boil.&nbsp; In one
+corner was a sort of ladder leading through the roof; and up this
+ladder the old gentleman pointed, as he said in a whisper:</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;The observatory.&nbsp; Mr. Mooney is even now
+watching for the precise time at which we are to come into all
+the riches of the earth.&nbsp; It will be necessary for he and I,
+alone in that silent place, to cast your nativity before the hour
+arrives.&nbsp; Put the day and minute of your birth on this piece
+of paper, and leave the rest to me.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t mean to say,&rdquo; says Tom,
+doing as he was told and giving him back the paper, &ldquo;that
+I&rsquo;m to wait here long, do you?&nbsp; It&rsquo;s a precious
+dismal place.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Hush!&rdquo; says the old gentleman.&nbsp;
+&ldquo;It&rsquo;s hallowed ground.&nbsp; Farewell!&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Stop a minute,&rdquo; says Tom.&nbsp;
+&ldquo;What a hurry you&rsquo;re in!&nbsp; What&rsquo;s in that
+large bottle yonder?&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a child with three heads,&rdquo; says
+the old gentleman; &ldquo;and everything else in
+proportion.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Why don&rsquo;t you throw him away?&rdquo; says
+Tom.&nbsp; &ldquo;What do you keep such unpleasant things here
+for?&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Throw him away!&rdquo; cries the old
+gentleman.&nbsp; &ldquo;We use him constantly in astrology.&nbsp;
+He&rsquo;s a charm.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;I shouldn&rsquo;t have thought it,&rdquo; says
+Tom, &ldquo;from his appearance.&nbsp; <i>Must</i> you go, I
+say?&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;The old gentleman makes him no answer, but climbs up
+the ladder in a greater bustle than ever.&nbsp; Tom looked after
+his legs till there was nothing of him left, and then sat down to
+wait; feeling (so he used to say) as comfortable as if he was
+going to be made a freemason, and they were heating the
+pokers.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Tom waited so long, gentlemen, that he began to think
+it must be getting on for midnight at least, and felt more dismal
+and lonely than ever he had done in all his life.&nbsp; He tried
+every means of whiling away the time, but it never had seemed to
+move so slow.&nbsp; First, he took a nearer view of the child
+with three heads, and thought what a comfort it must have been to
+his parents.&nbsp; Then he looked up a long telescope which was
+pointed out of the window, but saw nothing particular, in
+consequence of the stopper being on at the other end.&nbsp; Then
+he came to a skeleton in a glass case, labelled, &ldquo;Skeleton
+of a Gentleman&mdash;prepared by Mr. Mooney,&rdquo;&mdash;which
+made him hope that Mr. Mooney might not be in the habit of
+preparing gentlemen that way without their own consent.&nbsp; A
+hundred times, at least, he looked into the pot where they were
+boiling the philosopher&rsquo;s stone down to the proper
+consistency, and wondered whether it was nearly done.&nbsp;
+&ldquo;When it is,&rdquo; thinks Tom, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll send out
+for six-penn&rsquo;orth of sprats, and turn &rsquo;em into gold
+fish for a first experiment.&rdquo;&nbsp; Besides which, he made
+up his mind, gentlemen, to have a country-house and a park; and
+to plant a bit of it with a double row of gas-lamps a mile long,
+and go out every night with a French-polished mahogany ladder,
+and two servants in livery behind him, to light &rsquo;em for his
+own pleasure.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;At length and at last, the old gentleman&rsquo;s legs
+appeared upon the steps leading through the roof, and he came
+slowly down: bringing along with him, the gifted Mooney.&nbsp;
+This Mooney, gentlemen, was even more scientific in appearance
+than his friend; and had, as Tom often declared upon his word and
+honour, the dirtiest face we can possibly know of, in this
+imperfect state of existence.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Gentlemen, you are all aware that if a scientific man
+isn&rsquo;t absent in his mind, he&rsquo;s of no good at
+all.&nbsp; Mr. Mooney was so absent, that when the old gentleman
+said to him, &ldquo;Shake hands with Mr. Grig,&rdquo; he put out
+his leg.&nbsp; &ldquo;Here&rsquo;s a mind, Mr. Grig!&rdquo; cries
+the old gentleman in a rapture.&nbsp; &ldquo;Here&rsquo;s
+philosophy!&nbsp; Here&rsquo;s rumination!&nbsp; Don&rsquo;t
+disturb him,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;for this is
+amazing!&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Tom had no wish to disturb him, having nothing
+particular to say; but he was so uncommonly amazing, that the old
+gentleman got impatient, and determined to give him an electric
+shock to bring him to&mdash;&ldquo;for you must know, Mr.
+Grig,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;that we always keep a strongly
+charged battery, ready for that purpose.&rdquo;&nbsp; These means
+being resorted to, gentlemen, the gifted Mooney revived with a
+loud roar, and he no sooner came to himself than both he and the
+old gentleman looked at Tom with compassion, and shed tears
+abundantly.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;My dear friend,&rdquo; says the old gentleman to
+the Gifted, &ldquo;prepare him.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;I say,&rdquo; cries Tom, falling back,
+&ldquo;none of that, you know.&nbsp; No preparing by Mr. Mooney
+if you please.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Alas!&rdquo; replies the old gentleman,
+&ldquo;you don&rsquo;t understand us.&nbsp; My friend, inform him
+of his fate.&mdash;I can&rsquo;t.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;The Gifted mustered up his voice, after many efforts,
+and informed Tom that his nativity had been carefully cast, and
+he would expire at exactly thirty-five minutes, twenty-seven
+seconds, and five-sixths of a second past nine o&rsquo;clock,
+a.m., on that day two months.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Gentlemen, I leave you to judge what were Tom&rsquo;s
+feelings at this announcement, on the eve of matrimony and
+endless riches.&nbsp; &ldquo;I think,&rdquo; he says in a
+trembling voice, &ldquo;there must be a mistake in the working of
+that sum.&nbsp; Will you do me the favour to cast it up
+again?&rdquo;&mdash;&ldquo;There is no mistake,&rdquo; replies
+the old gentleman, &ldquo;it is confirmed by Francis Moore,
+Physician.&nbsp; Here is the prediction for to-morrow two
+months.&rdquo;&nbsp; And he showed him the page, where sure
+enough were these words&mdash;&ldquo;The decease of a great
+person may be looked for, about this time.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Which,&rdquo; says the old gentleman, &ldquo;is
+clearly you, Mr. Grig.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Too clearly,&rdquo; cries Tom, sinking into a
+chair, and giving one hand to the old gentleman, and one to the
+Gifted.&nbsp; &ldquo;The orb of day has set on Thomas Grig for
+ever!&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;At this affecting remark, the Gifted shed tears again,
+and the other two mingled their tears with his, in a
+kind&mdash;if I may use the expression&mdash;of Mooney and
+Co.&rsquo;s entire.&nbsp; But the old gentleman recovering first,
+observed that this was only a reason for hastening the marriage,
+in order that Tom&rsquo;s distinguished race might be transmitted
+to posterity; and requesting the Gifted to console Mr. Grig
+during his temporary absence, he withdrew to settle the
+preliminaries with his niece immediately.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;And now, gentlemen, a very extraordinary and remarkable
+occurrence took place; for as Tom sat in a melancholy way in one
+chair, and the Gifted sat in a melancholy way in another, a
+couple of doors were thrown violently open, the two young ladies
+rushed in, and one knelt down in a loving attitude at Tom&rsquo;s
+feet, and the other at the Gifted&rsquo;s.&nbsp; So far, perhaps,
+as Tom was concerned&mdash;as he used to say&mdash;you will say
+there was nothing strange in this: but you will be of a different
+opinion when you understand that Tom&rsquo;s young lady was
+kneeling to the Gifted, and the Gifted&rsquo;s young lady was
+kneeling to Tom.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Halloa! stop a minute!&rdquo; cries Tom;
+&ldquo;here&rsquo;s a mistake.&nbsp; I need condoling with by
+sympathising woman, under my afflicting circumstances; but
+we&rsquo;re out in the figure.&nbsp; Change partners,
+Mooney.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Monster!&rdquo; cries Tom&rsquo;s young lady,
+clinging to the Gifted.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Miss!&rdquo; says Tom.&nbsp; &ldquo;Is
+<i>that</i> your manners?&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;I abjure thee!&rdquo; cries Tom&rsquo;s young
+lady.&nbsp; &ldquo;I renounce thee.&nbsp; I never will be
+thine.&nbsp; Thou,&rdquo; she says to the Gifted, &ldquo;art the
+object of my first and all-engrossing passion.&nbsp; Wrapt in thy
+sublime visions, thou hast not perceived my love; but, driven to
+despair, I now shake off the woman and avow it.&nbsp; Oh, cruel,
+cruel man!&rdquo;&nbsp; With which reproach she laid her head
+upon the Gifted&rsquo;s breast, and put her arms about him in the
+tenderest manner possible, gentlemen.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;And I,&rdquo; says the other young lady, in a
+sort of ecstasy, that made Tom start&mdash;&ldquo;I hereby abjure
+my chosen husband too.&nbsp; Hear me, Goblin!&rdquo;&mdash;this
+was to the Gifted&mdash;&ldquo;Hear me!&nbsp; I hold thee in the
+deepest detestation.&nbsp; The maddening interview of this one
+night has filled my soul with love&mdash;but not for thee.&nbsp;
+It is for thee, for thee, young man,&rdquo; she cries to
+Tom.&nbsp; &ldquo;As Monk Lewis finely observes, Thomas, Thomas,
+I am thine, Thomas, Thomas, thou art mine: thine for ever, mine
+for ever!&rdquo; with which words, she became very tender
+likewise.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Tom and the Gifted, gentlemen, as you may believe,
+looked at each other in a very awkward manner, and with thoughts
+not at all complimentary to the two young ladies.&nbsp; As to the
+Gifted, I have heard Tom say often, that he was certain he was in
+a fit, and had it inwardly.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Speak to me!&nbsp; Oh, speak to me!&rdquo; cries
+Tom&rsquo;s young lady to the Gifted.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to speak to anybody,&rdquo;
+he says, finding his voice at last, and trying to push her
+away.&nbsp; &ldquo;I think I had better go.&nbsp;
+I&rsquo;m&mdash;I&rsquo;m frightened,&rdquo; he says, looking
+about as if he had lost something.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Not one look of love!&rdquo; she cries.&nbsp;
+&ldquo;Hear me while I declare&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how to look a look of
+love,&rdquo; he says, all in a maze.&nbsp; &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t
+declare anything.&nbsp; I don&rsquo;t want to hear
+anybody.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;That&rsquo;s right!&rdquo; cries the old
+gentleman (who it seems had been listening).&nbsp;
+&ldquo;That&rsquo;s right!&nbsp; Don&rsquo;t hear her.&nbsp; Emma
+shall marry you to-morrow, my friend, whether she likes it or
+not, and <i>she</i> shall marry Mr. Grig.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Gentlemen, these words were no sooner out of his mouth
+than Galileo Isaac Newton Flamstead (who it seems had been
+listening too) darts in, and spinning round and round, like a
+young giant&rsquo;s top, cries, &ldquo;Let her.&nbsp; Let
+her.&nbsp; I&rsquo;m fierce; I&rsquo;m furious.&nbsp; I give her
+leave.&nbsp; I&rsquo;ll never marry anybody after
+this&mdash;never.&nbsp; It isn&rsquo;t safe.&nbsp; She is the
+falsest of the false,&rdquo; he cries, tearing his hair and
+gnashing his teeth; &ldquo;and I&rsquo;ll live and die a
+bachelor!&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;The little boy,&rdquo; observed the Gifted
+gravely, &ldquo;albeit of tender years, has spoken wisdom.&nbsp;
+I have been led to the contemplation of woman-kind, and will not
+adventure on the troubled waters of matrimony.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;What!&rdquo; says the old gentleman, &ldquo;not
+marry my daughter!&nbsp; Won&rsquo;t you, Mooney?&nbsp; Not if I
+make her?&nbsp; Won&rsquo;t you?&nbsp; Won&rsquo;t
+you?&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;No,&rdquo; says Mooney, &ldquo;I
+won&rsquo;t.&nbsp; And if anybody asks me any more, I&rsquo;ll
+run away, and never come back again.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Mr. Grig,&rdquo; says the old gentleman,
+&ldquo;the stars must be obeyed.&nbsp; You have not changed your
+mind because of a little girlish folly&mdash;eh, Mr.
+Grig?&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Tom, gentlemen, had had his eyes about him, and was
+pretty sure that all this was a device and trick of the
+waiting-maid, to put him off his inclination.&nbsp; He had seen
+her hiding and skipping about the two doors, and had observed
+that a very little whispering from her pacified the Salamander
+directly.&nbsp; &ldquo;So,&rdquo; thinks Tom, &ldquo;this is a
+plot&mdash;but it won&rsquo;t fit.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Eh, Mr. Grig?&rdquo; says the old gentleman.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Why, Sir,&rdquo; says Tom, pointing to the
+crucible, &ldquo;if the soup&rsquo;s nearly
+ready&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Another hour beholds the consummation of our
+labours,&rdquo; returned the old gentleman.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Very good,&rdquo; says Tom, with a mournful
+air.&nbsp; &ldquo;It&rsquo;s only for two months, but I may as
+well be the richest man in the world even for that time.&nbsp;
+I&rsquo;m not particular, I&rsquo;ll take her, Sir.&nbsp;
+I&rsquo;ll take her.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;The old gentleman was in a rapture to find Tom still in
+the same mind, and drawing the young lady towards him by little
+and little, was joining their hands by main force, when all of a
+sudden, gentlemen, the crucible blows up, with a great crash;
+everybody screams; the room is filled with smoke; and Tom, not
+knowing what may happen next, throws himself into a Fancy
+attitude, and says, &ldquo;Come on, if you&rsquo;re a man!&rdquo;
+without addressing himself to anybody in particular.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;The labours of fifteen years!&rdquo; says the
+old gentleman, clasping his hands and looking down upon the
+Gifted, who was saving the pieces, &ldquo;are destroyed in an
+instant!&rdquo;&mdash;And I am told, gentlemen, by-the-bye, that
+this same philosopher&rsquo;s stone would have been discovered a
+hundred times at least, to speak within bounds, if it
+wasn&rsquo;t for the one unfortunate circumstance that the
+apparatus always blows up, when it&rsquo;s on the very point of
+succeeding.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Tom turns pale when he hears the old gentleman
+expressing himself to this unpleasant effect, and stammers out
+that if it&rsquo;s quite agreeable to all parties, he would like
+to know exactly what has happened, and what change has really
+taken place in the prospects of that company.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;We have failed for the present, Mr. Grig,&rdquo;
+says the old gentleman, wiping his forehead.&nbsp; &ldquo;And I
+regret it the more, because I have in fact invested my
+niece&rsquo;s five thousand pounds in this glorious
+speculation.&nbsp; But don&rsquo;t be cast down,&rdquo; he says,
+anxiously&mdash;&ldquo;in another fifteen years, Mr.
+Grig&mdash;&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&ldquo;Oh!&rdquo; cries Tom, letting the young lady&rsquo;s
+hand fall.&nbsp; &ldquo;Were the stars very positive about this
+union, Sir?&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;They were,&rdquo; says the old gentleman.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sorry to hear it,&rdquo; Tom makes
+answer, &ldquo;for it&rsquo;s no go, Sir.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;No what!&rdquo; cries the old gentleman.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Go, Sir,&rdquo; says Tom, fiercely.&nbsp;
+&ldquo;I forbid the banns.&rdquo;&nbsp; And with these
+words&mdash;which are the very words he used&mdash;he sat himself
+down in a chair, and, laying his head upon the table, thought
+with a secret grief of what was to come to pass on that day two
+months.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Tom always said, gentlemen, that that waiting-maid was
+the artfullest minx he had ever seen; and he left it in writing
+in this country when he went to colonize abroad, that he was
+certain in his own mind she and the Salamander had blown up the
+philosopher&rsquo;s stone on purpose, and to cut him out of his
+property.&nbsp; I believe Tom was in the right, gentlemen; but
+whether or no, she comes forward at this point, and says,
+&ldquo;May I speak, Sir?&rdquo; and the old gentleman answering,
+&ldquo;Yes, you may,&rdquo; she goes on to say that &ldquo;the
+stars are no doubt quite right in every respect, but Tom is not
+the man.&rdquo;&nbsp; And she says, &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t you
+remember, Sir, that when the clock struck five this afternoon,
+you gave Master Galileo a rap on the head with your telescope,
+and told him to get out of the way?&rdquo;&nbsp; &ldquo;Yes, I
+do,&rdquo; says the old gentleman.&nbsp; &ldquo;Then,&rdquo; says
+the waiting-maid, &ldquo;I say he&rsquo;s the man, and the
+prophecy is fulfilled.&rdquo;&nbsp; The old gentleman staggers at
+this, as if somebody had hit him a blow on the chest, and cries,
+&ldquo;He! why he&rsquo;s a boy!&rdquo;&nbsp; Upon that,
+gentlemen, the Salamander cries out that he&rsquo;ll be
+twenty-one next Lady-day; and complains that his father has
+always been so busy with the sun round which the earth revolves,
+that he has never taken any notice of the son that revolves round
+him; and that he hasn&rsquo;t had a new suit of clothes since he
+was fourteen; and that he wasn&rsquo;t even taken out of nankeen
+frocks and trousers till he was quite unpleasant in &rsquo;em;
+and touches on a good many more family matters to the same
+purpose.&nbsp; To make short of a long story, gentlemen, they all
+talk together, and cry together, and remind the old gentleman
+that as to the noble family, his own grandfather would have been
+lord mayor if he hadn&rsquo;t died at a dinner the year before;
+and they show him by all kinds of arguments that if the cousins
+are married, the prediction comes true every way.&nbsp; At last,
+the old gentleman being quite convinced, gives in; and joins
+their hands; and leaves his daughter to marry anybody she likes;
+and they are all well pleased; and the Gifted as well as any of
+them.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;In the middle of this little family party, gentlemen,
+sits Tom all the while, as miserable as you like.&nbsp; But, when
+everything else is arranged, the old gentleman&rsquo;s daughter
+says, that their strange conduct was a little device of the
+waiting-maid&rsquo;s to disgust the lovers he had chosen for
+&rsquo;em, and will he forgive her? and if he will, perhaps he
+might even find her a husband&mdash;and when she says that, she
+looks uncommon hard at Tom.&nbsp; Then the waiting-maid says
+that, oh dear! she couldn&rsquo;t abear Mr. Grig should think she
+wanted him to marry her; and that she had even gone so far as to
+refuse the last lamplighter, who was now a literary character
+(having set up as a bill-sticker); and that she hoped Mr. Grig
+would not suppose she was on her last legs by any means, for the
+baker was very strong in his attentions at that moment, and as to
+the butcher, he was frantic.&nbsp; And I don&rsquo;t know how
+much more she might have said, gentlemen (for, as you know, this
+kind of young women are rare ones to talk), if the old gentleman
+hadn&rsquo;t cut in suddenly, and asked Tom if he&rsquo;d have
+her, with ten pounds to recompense him for his loss of time and
+disappointment, and as a kind of bribe to keep the story
+secret.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;It don&rsquo;t much matter, Sir,&rdquo; says
+Tom, &ldquo;I ain&rsquo;t long for this world.&nbsp; Eight weeks
+of marriage, especially with this young woman, might reconcile me
+to my fate.&nbsp; I think,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;I could go off
+easy after that.&rdquo;&nbsp; With which he embraces her with a
+very dismal face, and groans in a way that might move a heart of
+stone&mdash;even of philosopher&rsquo;s stone.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Egad,&rdquo; says the old gentleman, &ldquo;that
+reminds me&mdash;this bustle put it out of my head&mdash;there
+was a figure wrong.&nbsp; He&rsquo;ll live to a green old
+age&mdash;eighty-seven at least!&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;How much, Sir?&rdquo; cries Tom.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Eighty-seven!&rdquo; says the old gentleman.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Without another word, Tom flings himself on the old
+gentleman&rsquo;s neck; throws up his hat; cuts a caper; defies
+the waiting-maid; and refers her to the butcher.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;You won&rsquo;t marry her!&rdquo; says the old
+gentleman, angrily.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;And live after it!&rdquo; says Tom.&nbsp;
+&ldquo;I&rsquo;d sooner marry a mermaid with a small-tooth comb
+and looking-glass.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Then take the consequences,&rdquo; says the
+other.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;With those words&mdash;I beg your kind attention here,
+gentlemen, for it&rsquo;s worth your notice&mdash;the old
+gentleman wetted the forefinger of his right hand in some of the
+liquor from the crucible that was spilt on the floor, and drew a
+small triangle on Tom&rsquo;s forehead.&nbsp; The room swam
+before his eyes, and he found himself in the
+watch-house.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Found himself <i>where</i>?&rsquo; cried the vice, on
+behalf of the company generally.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;In the watch-house,&rsquo; said the chairman.&nbsp;
+&lsquo;It was late at night, and he found himself in the very
+watch-house from which he had been let out that
+morning.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Did he go home?&rsquo; asked the vice.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;The watch-house people rather objected to that,&rsquo;
+said the chairman; &lsquo;so he stopped there that night, and
+went before the magistrate in the morning.&nbsp; &ldquo;Why,
+you&rsquo;re here again, are you?&rdquo; says the magistrate,
+adding insult to injury; &ldquo;we&rsquo;ll trouble you for five
+shillings more, if you can conveniently spare the
+money.&rdquo;&nbsp; Tom told him he had been enchanted, but it
+was of no use.&nbsp; He told the contractors the same, but they
+wouldn&rsquo;t believe him.&nbsp; It was very hard upon him,
+gentlemen, as he often said, for was it likely he&rsquo;d go and
+invent such a tale?&nbsp; They shook their heads and told him
+he&rsquo;d say anything but his prayers&mdash;as indeed he would;
+there&rsquo;s no doubt about that.&nbsp; It was the only
+imputation on his moral character that ever <i>I</i> heard
+of.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LAMPLIGHTER***</p>
+<pre>
+
+
+***** This file should be named 927-h.htm or 927-h.zip******
+
+
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/9/2/927
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will
+be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
+law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
+so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United
+States without permission and without paying copyright
+royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part
+of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm
+concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,
+and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive
+specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this
+eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook
+for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports,
+performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given
+away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks
+not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the
+trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.
+
+START: FULL LICENSE
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full
+Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at
+www.gutenberg.org/license.
+
+Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+
+1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or
+destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your
+possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
+Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound
+by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the
+person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph
+1.E.8.
+
+1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
+paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this
+agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the
+Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection
+of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual
+works in the collection are in the public domain in the United
+States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the
+United States and you are located in the United States, we do not
+claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
+displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
+all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
+that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting
+free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm
+works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the
+Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily
+comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the
+same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when
+you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are
+in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,
+check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this
+agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
+distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
+other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no
+representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
+country outside the United States.
+
+1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other
+immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear
+prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work
+on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed,
+performed, viewed, copied or distributed:
+
+ This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
+ most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
+ restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
+ under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
+ eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
+ United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you
+ are located before using this ebook.
+
+1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is
+derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not
+contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the
+copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in
+the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are
+redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply
+either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or
+obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm
+trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any
+additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
+will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works
+posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the
+beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
+any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access
+to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format
+other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official
+version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site
+(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense
+to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means
+of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain
+Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the
+full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+provided that
+
+* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+ the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+ you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed
+ to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has
+ agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project
+ Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid
+ within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are
+ legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty
+ payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project
+ Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in
+ Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg
+ Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+ you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+ does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+ License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all
+ copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue
+ all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm
+ works.
+
+* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of
+ any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+ electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
+ receipt of the work.
+
+* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+ distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than
+are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing
+from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The
+Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project
+Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may
+contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate
+or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
+intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
+other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or
+cannot be read by your equipment.
+
+1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
+with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
+with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
+lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
+or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
+opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
+the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
+without further opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO
+OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
+LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
+damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
+violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
+agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
+limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
+unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
+remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in
+accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
+production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
+including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
+the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
+or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or
+additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any
+Defect you cause.
+
+Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
+computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
+exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
+from people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future
+generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see
+Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at
+www.gutenberg.org
+
+Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by
+U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the
+mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its
+volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous
+locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt
+Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to
+date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and
+official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact
+
+For additional contact information:
+
+ Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+ Chief Executive and Director
+ gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
+DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular
+state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
+donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate
+
+Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be
+freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
+distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of
+volunteer support.
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
+the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
+necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
+edition.
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search
+facility: www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+
+</pre></body>
+</html>
diff --git a/927-h/images/coverb.jpg b/927-h/images/coverb.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c50c538
--- /dev/null
+++ b/927-h/images/coverb.jpg
Binary files differ
diff --git a/927-h/images/covers.jpg b/927-h/images/covers.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bee2d47
--- /dev/null
+++ b/927-h/images/covers.jpg
Binary files differ