Page:Cuthbert Bede--Little Mr Bouncer and Tales of College Life.djvu/106

86 of the slumberer, who was sleeping so heavily that there was some difficulty in rousing him. "Smirke! awake, my beauty! my lady fair, arise, and, like the winking may-buds, 'gin to ope your eyes! You ought to be up and dressed."

"Oh, don't bother!" protested Mr. Smirke, not yet fully roused; "I want to go to sleep."

"Oh, indeed, you 'll do no such thing," said Mr. Bouncer, as he gave him another vigorous shake and pulled the clothes off him. "It 's all very well for Dr. Watts' sluggard to do the downy like the door on its hinges, so he on his bed; but I can't allow it."

"I wish you 'd go away and not bother me," said Mr. Smirke, endeavouring to compose himself to sleep again.

"There, don't be offended! the only way to take a fence is to do it in that style," said little Mr. Bouncer, pointing to one of Alken's coloured hunting pictures that was nailed up on the wall over Mr. Smirke's head. "Come, rouse up, my beauty! not that you are a beauty without paint, as you 'll see for yourself, when you come to look at yourself in the glass. If you don't get up at once, I shall give you cold pig. We 've no time to lose; for, unless you are very quick, we shall not be there in time."

"Be where?" asked Mr. Smirke, rubbing his eyes.

"Where? why at the Port Meadow, to be sure," replied Mr. Bouncer, who was greatly tickled at the odd appearance of Mr. Smirke's elaborately-corked face.

"Port Meadow? What for?" asked that gentleman. "Why, don't you remember? You were to be there at seven o'clock this morning—a duel, you know, with Bulpit, of Skimmery, whom you grossly insulted at Effingham's Little-go Wine, by shying a duck in his face."