The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-07 00:00:00

LAMPS.

" Lamps had certainly not the conventional appearance
of one, as ho stood modestly rubbing his squab nose with
a handkerchief so exceedingly oily that he might have
been in the act of mistaking himself for one of his charges.
He was a spare man of about the Barbox Brothers time of
life, with his features whimsically drawn upward as if
they were attracted by the roots of his hair. He had a
peculiarly shining transparent complexion, probably occa-
sioned by constant oleaginious application ; and his attrac-
tive hair, being cut short, and being grizzled, and stand-
ing straight up on end as if it in its turn were attracted by
some invisiblctsmagnet above it, the Op of ,his head was
not very unlike a lamp-wick."

It is particularly noticeable by the way that more
than half of the present Chi istwas nuaaber is
written by Mr. Dickens's own hand—the lesser
moiety, to use a Hybernicism, being penned by
his colaborateurs. Two of those, it may be
observed, are ladies, Hesba StrettoS and Amelia
Edwards—the other two writers being Charles
Collins and Andrew Halliday. It is some-
thing to say, moreover, of those same co-opera-
tors with Mr. Dickens in the celebration of what is
more especially noteworthy in regard to " Mugby
Junction," that they at any rate pass muster with
their respective contributions. The main excellence,
value, and attraction, however, of the number all lie
as a matter of course in the four opening papers from
the hand of our great novelist. Foremost among
them, to our thinking, being beyond all com-

parison the best of the four--the story of " The
Signalman." Brief though it is, it is perfect as a
work of art. It shows again, and in a remark-
able manner, Mr. Dickens's power in his mastery
of the terrible. The pathetic force of it, is truly
admirable. It is, surely, the finest Tale of
Presentiment that has ever yet been told. And
the force of the pathos of it is wrought up to a
climax in the simple words uttered by the engine-
driver at the close, where he is describing the catas-
trophe." I put this arm before my eyes not to see,
and I waved this arm to the last ; but it was of no
use." Immediately after " The Signalman" in ex-
cellence—and thoroughly delightful, if only by way
of contrast—commend us to " The Boy at Mugby"
—own brother to Trabb's boy in " Great Expecta-
tions"—friend of the heart to Tom Scott, in the
" Old Curiosity Shop"—worthy of being comrade
and associate of Bailey Junior in " Martin
Chuzzlewit." Haar him !
"I am Tho Boy at Mugby. That's about what I am.
" You don't know what I mean ? What a pity ! But I
think you do. I think you must. Look here. lam the
Boy at what is called The Refreshment Room at Mugby
Junction, and what's proudest boast is, that it never yet
refreshed a mortal being.
" Up in a corner of the Down Refreshment Room at
Mugby Junction, in the height of 27 cross draughts (I've
often counted 'em while they brush the first-class hair 27
ways), behind the bottles, among the glasses, bounded on the
nor'-west by the beer, stood pretty far to the right of a
metallic object that's at times the tea-urn and at times the
soup-tureen, according to the nature of the last twang im-
parted to its contents which are the same groundwork,
fended off from the traveller by a barrier of stale sponge-
cakes, erected atop of the counter, and lastly exposed side-
ways to the glare of Our Missis's eye—you ask a Boy so
sitiwated, next time you stop in a hurry at Mugby, for any-
thing to drink ; you take particular notice that he'll try to
SOJes not to hear you, that he'll appear in a absent manner
to survey the Line through a transparent medium composed
of your head and body, and that he won't serve you as long
as you can possibly bear it. That's Mo. -

"What a lark it is ! We are the Model Establishment,
we are, at Mugby. Other Refreshment Rooms send their
imperfect young ladies up to be finished off by Our Missis.
For some of the young ladies, when they're new to the
business, come into it mild! Alk ! Our Missis, she soon
takes that out of 'em. Why, I originally coma into the
business meek myself. But Our Missis she soon take that
mild me.
" What a delightful lark it is ! I look upon us Refresh-
menters as ockipying the only proudly independent foot-
ing on the Line. There's Papers for instance—my hon-
ourable friend, if he will allow me to call him so—him as
belongs to Smith's bookstall. Why, he no more dares to
be up to our Refreshmenting games than he dares to jump
atop of a locomotive with her steam at full pressure, and
cut away upon her alone, driving himself, at limited mail
speed. , Papers, he'd get his head punched at every com-
partment, first, second, and third, the whole length of a
train, if he was to venter to imitate my demeanour. It's
the same with the porters, the same with the guards, the
same with the ticket-clerks, the same the whole way up
to the secretary, traffic manager, or very chairman. There
ain't a one among 'em on the nobly independent footing
we are. Did you ever catch one of them, when you wanted
anything of him, making a system of surveying the Line
through a transparent medium composed of your head and
body. --I should hope not.
" You should see our Bandolining Room at Mugby Junc-
tion. It's led to, by the door behind the counter which
you'll notice usually stands ajar, and it's the room where
Our Missis and our young ladies Bandolines their hair.
Yon should see 'em at it, betwixt trains, Bandolining away,
as if they was anointing themselves for the combat. When
you're telegraphed, you should see their noses all agoing
up with scorn, as if it was a part of the working of the
same Cooke and Wheatstone electrical machinery. You
should hear our Missis give the word, Here comes the
Beast to bo Fed !' and then you should see 'em indignantly
skipping across the Line, from the Up to the Down, or
Wicer Warsaw, and begin to pitch the stale pastry into the
plates, and chuck the sawdust sang witches under the glass
covers, and get out the—ha, ha, ha!—the Sherry-0 my
eye, my eye !—for your Refreshment.
"It's only in the Isle of the Brave and Land of the Free
(by which, of course, I mean to say Britannia) that Re-
freshmenting is so effective, so 'olesome, so constitutional,
a check upon the public. There was a foreigner, which
having politely, with his hat off, beseeched our young
ladies and Our Missis for ' a leetel gloss hoff prarndee,' and
having had the Line'surveyed through him by all and no
other acknowledgment, was proceeding at last to help
himself, as seems to be the custom in his own country,
when Our Missis with hor hair almost a coming un-
Bandolined with rage, and her eyes omitting sparks,
flew at him, cotched the decanter out of his hand,
and said, ' Put it down, I won't allow that !' The
foreigner turned pale, stepped back with his arms
stretched out in front of him, his hands clasped, and his
shoulders, riz, and exclaimed, is it possible this!
That these disdaiueous females and this ferocious old wo-
man are placed here by the administration, not only to em-
poison the voyagers, but to affront them! Great Heaven !
How arrives it ? The English people. Or is he then a
slave ? Or idiot ?' Another time, a merry wide-awake.
American gent had tried the sawdust and spit it out, and
had tried the Sherry and spit that out, and had trio d in
vain to sustain exhausted natur upon Butter-Scotch, and
had been rather extra Bandolined and Line-surveyed
through, when, as the bell was ringing, and he paid Our
Missis, he says, very loud and good-tempered -' I tell Yew
what 'tie, ma'arm. I la'af. Theer ! I la'af. I Dew. I
oughter ha' seen most things, for I hail from the Onlimited
side of the Atlantic Ocean, and I haive travelled right slick
over the Limited, head on thrpugh Jee-rusalemm and the
East, and likeways France and Italy, Europe Old World,
and am now upon the track to the Chief Europian Village ;
but such an Institution as Yew, and Yewer young ladies,
and Yewer fixiu's solid and liquid, afore the glorious Tar-
nal I never did see yet! And if I hain't found the eighth
wonder of monarchical Creation, in finding Yew, and
Yewer young ladies, and Yewer fixin's solid and liquid, all
as aforesaid, established in a country where the people air
not absolute Loo-naticks, I am extra Double Darned with
a Nip and Frizzle to the innermost grist ! Wh.eerf ur—
nicer I—l la'af ! I Dew,"ma'arm. I la'af !' And so he
wont, stamping and shaking his sides, along the platform
all the way to his own compartment."
As for the rest, what shall we say ? , That it is
worthy of the Boy at Mugby ! Witness Lamps—
and Phoebe—and Polly—and Miss Melluka : but
especially Polly—how shall we call her ?—Trivits—
Paddens—Tappiturver—Constantinople !

MARKS T S.—This day.

MARK lANT...

The fresh arrivals of English wheat at to-day's market
were very small, but far in excess of the demand. There
was no improvement in the inquiry for either red or white
parcels, and the trade was very dull at fully Monday's de-
cline in prices.

The market was well supplied with foreign wheat, in
which next to nothing was doing, and the value of in-
ferior sorts had a drooping tendency.
Floating cargoes of grain moved off slowly at the late
reduction.

Tho barley trade generally was without activity, but
about late rates.
Malt was in limited request at former terms.
In oats a fair average business was passing, and Mon-
day's prices were supported.
Beans and peas were quiet at late rates.
Flour met a slow sale at about previous currencies.
suir ARRIVALS THIS WEEK.
Wheat. Barley. Malt. Oats. Flour.
English and Scotch 760 320 880 50 950
Irish
Foreign 5,250 11,270 3,750 2,280 brls.
3,360 sks.