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a dozen persons present. It was the scarecrow Dean— in foxy shoes,
down at the heels; socks of odd colours, also 'down;1 damaged
trousers, relics of antiquity, and a world too short, exposing some
inches of naked ankle; an unbuttoned vest, also too short* and
exposing a zone of soiled and wrinkled linen between it and the
waistband ; shirt bosom open ; long black handkerchief, wound round
and round the neck like a bandage ; bob-tailed blue coat, reaching
down to the small of the back, with sleeves which left four inches of
forearm unprotected; small, stiff-brimmed soldier-cap hung on a
corner of the bump of — whichever bump it was, This figure moved
gravely out upon the stage and, with sedate and measured step, down
to the front, where it paused, and dreamily inspected the house,
saying no word. The silence of surprise held its own for a moment,
then was broken by a just audible ripple of merriment which swept
the sea of faces Eke the wash of a wave. The figure remained as
before, thoughtfully inspecting. Another wave started — laughter,
this time. It was followed by another, then a third — this last cue
boisterous.
And now the stranger stepped back one pace, took off his soldier-
cap, tossed it into the wing, and began to speak, with deliberation^
nobody listening, everybody laughing and whispering. The speaker
talked on unembarrassed, and presently delivered a shot which went
home, and silence and attention resulted. He followed it qnick and
fast, with other telling things ; warmed to his work and began to
pour his words out, instead of dripping them ; grew hotter and
hotter, and fell to discharging lightnings and thunder — and now the
house began to break into applause, to which the speaker gave no
heed, but went hammering straight on ; unwound his black bandage
and cast it away, still thundering; presently discarded the bob tailed
coat and flung it aside, Bring up higher and higher all tibe time;
finally flung the vest after the coat ; and then for an nntiroecl period
stood there, like another Vesuvius, spouting smoke and name, kvm
and ashes, raining pumice-stone and cinders, shaking the moral earth
with intellectual crash upon crash, explosion upon explosion, wfetile
the mad multitude stood upon their feet in a solid body, answering
back with a ceaseless hurricane of cheers, through a thrashing snow-
storm of waving handkerchiefe.