Gavarni in London Author:Paul Gavarni 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: MUSIC IN THE DRAWING-ROOM. Music, on occupying the drawing-room, at once established a monopoly— declared itself the sole amusement. The portfolio, brilliant ... more »with the designs of six young ladies—ranging from the one eye and pair of lips out of drawing, to the highly-finished Turk, with excessively " foldy" turban—was closed never to re-open, or confined to the inspection of lucky friends, who might chance to call in the morning. The round-game table, with its chattering, its laughter, and that species of excitement which a run of ill- luck might easily warm up into a " pretty quarrel," was banished, with all its apparatus of fish and their pools. In the last case insult is added to injury, for people are not contented with the destruction of " Pope Joan," and " Speculation," but talk complacently of their own advance in civilization, because they sit vapidly listening (or pretending to listen) to some unmeaning song, whereas of old they were actually amused by the ruder recreation. With whist a sort of compromise was effected, but greatly to the disadvantage of the card side of the question. Here and there a solitary table is allowed to stand, that it may act as a sort of safety-valve, to carry off heavy old ladies and " slow" young gentlemen. The whist-table is no post of honour ; it is rather an accomplishment than otherwise not to know a spade from a club, and no small dexterity in the art of recruiting is required to muster a whist party of four. Generally the attempt proves a failure, and the unopened pack and undisturbed counters stand as monuments of the unsuccessful endeavour. The banishment of the portfolio is not to be regretted. The portfolio was a " bore." It was generally filled by purchasing a tolerably good two- shilling " study," and making some execrable cop...« less