Page:The London Magazine, volume 8 (July–December 1823).djvu/540

 cover from what house the gigantic domino had issued, he repaired to the house of Mr. Goodchild.

His extraordinary stature excited so much the more astonishment amongst the party-coloured mob of masquers, because he kept himself wholly aloof from all the rest and paced up and down with haughty strides. His demeanour and air had in it something terrific to every body except to Ida, to whom he had whispered as he passed her alone in an ante-room—“Don’t be alarmed: its only I:” at the same time giving her a billet, in which he requested a few moments’ conversation with her at any time in the course of the evening.

Some persons however had observed him speaking to Ida: and therefore, on her return to the great saloon, she was pressed on all sides to tell what she knew of the mysterious giant. She! good heavens! how should she know any thing of him? “What had he said then?”—That too she could as little answer. He spoke, she said, in such a low hollow and unintelligible tone that she was quite alarmed and heard nothing of what he uttered.

The company now betrayed more and more anxiety in reference to the unknown masque; so that Ida had no chance for answering his billet or granting the request which it contained. Mr. Tempest now began to regret much that he had not selected an ordinary masque in which he might have conversed at his ease without being so remarkably pointed out to the public attention.

The murmurs about the tall domino grew louder and louder, and gathered more and more about him. He began to hear doubts plainly expressed—whether he was actually invited. The master of the house protested that, so far from having any such giant amongst his acquaintance, he had never seen such a giant except in show-booths. This mention of booths gave a very unfortunate direction to the suspicions already abroad against the poor advocate. For at that time there was a giant in the town who was exhibiting himself for money: and Mr. Goodchild began to surmise that this man, either with a view to the increasing his knowledge of men and manners, or for his recreation after the tædium of standing to be gazed at through a whole day’s length, had possibly smuggled himself as a contraband article into his masqued ball.

The worthy host set to work very deliberately to count his guests: and it turned out that there was actually just one masque more than there should be. Upon this he stepped into the middle of the company, and spoke as follows: Most respectable and respected masques! Under existing circumstances, and for certain weighty causes me thereto moving (this phrase Mr. Goodchild had borrowed from his lawyer) I have to request that you will all and several, one after the other, communicate your names to me by whispering them into my ear.

Well did Mr. Tempest perceive what were the existing circumstances, and what the reasons thereto moving, which had led to this measure; and very gladly he would have withdrawn himself from this vexatious examination by marching off: but it did not escape him that a couple of sentinels were already posted at the door.

More than one half of the guests had already communicated their names to Mr. Goodchild, and stood waiting in the utmost impatience for the examination of the giant. But the giant, on his part, was so little eager to gratify them by pressing before others—that at length, when all the rest had gone through their probation honourably, he remained the last man; and thus was ipso facto condemned as the supernu-