“What is it? Read it! read it!”
And he did--slowly, and wondering:
“‘The remark which I made to the stranger--[Voices. “Hello! how’s
this?”]--was this: ‘You are far from being a bad man. [Voices. “Great
Scott!”] Go, and reform.’” [Voice. “Oh, saw my leg off!”] Signed by Mr.
Pinkerton the banker.”
The pandemonium of delight which turned itself loose now was of a sort
to make the judicious weep. Those whose withers were unwrung laughed
till the tears ran down; the reporters, in throes of laughter, set down
disordered pot-hooks which would never in the world be decipherable;
and a sleeping dog jumped up scared out of its wits, and barked itself
crazy at the turmoil. All manner of cries were scattered through the
din: “We’re getting rich--_two_ Symbols of Incorruptibility!--without
counting Billson!” “_Three_!--count Shadbelly in--we can’t have too
many!” “All right--Billson’s elected!” “Alas, poor Wilson! victim of
_two_ thieves!”
A Powerful Voice. “Silence! The Chair’s fished up something more out of
its pocket.”
Voices. “Hurrah! Is it something fresh? Read it! read! read!”
The Chair [reading]. “‘The remark which I made,’ etc. ‘You are far from
being a bad man. Go,’ etc. Signed, ‘Gregory Yates.’”
Tornado of Voices. “Four Symbols!” “’Rah for Yates!” “Fish again!”
The house was in a roaring humour now, and ready to get all the fun out
of the occasion that might be in it. Several Nineteeners, looking pale
and distressed, got up and began to work their way towards the aisles,
but a score of shouts went up:
“The doors, the doors--close the doors; no Incorruptible shall leave
this place! Sit down, everybody!” The mandate was obeyed.
“Fish again! Read! read!”
The Chair fished again, and once more the familiar words began to fall
from its lips--“‘You are far from being a bad man--’”
“Name! name! What’s his name?”
“‘L. Ingoldsby Sargent.’”
“Five elected! Pile up the Symbols! Go on, go on!”
“‘You are far from being a bad--’”
“Name! name!”
“‘Nicholas Whitworth.’”
“Hooray! hooray! it’s a symbolical day!”
Somebody wailed in, and began to sing this rhyme (leaving out “it’s”)
to the lovely “Mikado” tune of “When a man’s afraid of a beautiful
maid;” the audience joined in, with joy; then, just in time, somebody
contributed another line--
“And don’t you this forget--”