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Solomon's precept; or, The power of the rod [signed E.P.].
Solomon's precept or The power of the rod - signed E.P. Author:E. P Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PART II. CHAPTER II. It is a lovely evening towards the close of July. The heat of the sun, which has been overpowering during the midday, is now reduce... more »d to a more temperate warmth, while a gentle breeze clears the atmosphere, and smites the scorched faces of the Londoners with a grateful coolness. Kensington Gardens is brilliant with the gay dresses of those who promenade therein; the Serpentine, more pure now than it will be in 1861, bears on its sparkling surface a mimic fleet of yachts, with their clean white sails gleaming cheerily in the sunlight; ladies and gentlemen on horseback are cantering gaily up and down Eotten Eow, while the military band is performing a more than ordinarily goodselection of music, the delicious sounds of which echo and re-echo among the waving branches of the trees, filling the whole air around with melody. An immense crowd throngs the walks, certainly rivalling the rainbow in diversity of colour, however much it may be wanting in its one great essential beauty, harmony. It is a great human flag, blown by the winds of inclination, always moving but yet entire, until evening tears it to pieces and scatters it home. Many are moving about ostentatiously, peacock like, calling public attention to the superiority of their forms or clothing; many are sitting quiet enjoying the music, others are talking eagerly, chatting, laughing, and joking; young gentlemen are flirting and speaking softly to the demoiselles that hang on their arms; virulent and scurrilous old ladies are there, remarking on and scandalizing their neighbours, tall votaries of Mars are there, "spooning" the nursemaids; park keepers are there, sauntering idly about, and occasionallyadministering a cut with their canes to intruding curs; policemen are there, stalking ab...« less