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Trotter, who, from having broken out on the world as a poet of a tragic and suicidial cast, had now subsided into one of Mr. Bungay's back shops as reader for that gentleman; and Captain Sumph, an ex-beau reader about town, and related in some indistinct manner to Literature and the Peerage.
His wife was one Gavinia, and she had no fear of him except when she was travelling. To his face she referred to him as a doited sumph, but to Grizel pleading for him she admitted that despite his warts and quarrelsome legs he was a great big muckle sonsy, stout, buirdly well set up, wise-like, havering man.
We went to Civita Vecchia two days afterwards, where Byron's yacht was and, by Jove, the Cardinal died within three weeks; and Byron was very sorry, for he rather liked him." "A devilish interesting story, Sumph, indeed," Wagg said. "You should publish some of those stories, Captain Sumph, you really should. Such a volume would make our friend Bungay's fortune," Shandon said.
It's a queer country, let alone minin', for the hill is full of those natural caves, an' the rivers an' the becks drops into what they call pot-holes, an' come out again miles away. 'Wot was you doin' there? said Ortheris. 'I was a young chap then, an' mostly went wi' 'osses, leadin' coal and lead ore; but at th' time I'm tellin' on I was drivin' the waggon-team i' th' big sumph.
She faltered beneath his black glower. "Go on!" he said, and ground it out of her. "The damned sumph!" he growled, "to let Brodie hammer him!" For a moment, it is true, his anger was divided, stood in equipoise, even dipped "Brodie-ward." "I've an account to sattle wi' him!" he thought grimly. "When I get my claw on his neck, I'll teach him better than to hit a Gourlay!
He is what the 'Ettrick Shepherd' calls a 'Sumph. You have no guardian, I can tell you that. Before this he has gone through all the transmigrations of 'Indur, and the final metempsychosis, gave him to the world a Celestial. Yes, child; a Celestial.
He's a pretty-looking object to carry the name o' John Gourla'! My God, what a ke-o of my life I've made that auld trollop for my wife, that sumph for my son, and that dying lassie for my dochter! Was it I that bred him? That!" He leapt to his feet in devilish merriment. "Set out the spirits, Jenny!" he cried; "set out the spirits!
While they carried the litter forward, I perceived that another party were lifting from a bed near a figure, over whose face the sheet was carelessly thrown. I guessed from the gestures that the form they lifted was lifeless; the heavy sumph of the body upon the ground showed it beyond a doubt.
"Why don't you ask Sumph to publish 'em in your new paper the what-d'ye-call-'em hay, Shandon?" bawled out Wagg. "Why don't you ask him to publish 'em in your old magazine, the Thingumbob?" Shandon replied. "Is there going to be a new paper?" asked Wenham, who knew perfectly well, but was ashamed of his connection with the press.
"Aye, I was speakin' aboot Creeshy Callum's coffin that oor Saunders the muckle tongueless sumph there got dirt cheap ye see Greeshy had been measured for't, but, as he had a short leg and a shorter, the joiner measured the wrang leg joiners are a' dottle stupid bodies an' whan the time cam' for Creeshy to be streekit, man, he wadna fit na, it maun hae been a sair disappointment till him that is to say gin he war in the place whaur he could think wi' ony content on his coffin, an' that, judgin' by his life an' conversation, was far frae bein' a certainty."
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