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bound, to what the lady had said, and waited until she should speak
again.
Instead of speaking, however, she sat looking at the child for a long
time in silence, and then getting up, brought out from a corner a large
roll of canvas about a yard in width, which she laid upon the floor and
spread open with her foot until it nearly reached from one end of the
caravan to the other.
'There, child,' she said, 'read that.'
Nell walked down it, and read aloud, in enormous black letters, the
inscription, 'Jarley's WAX-WORK.'
'
'
'
Read it again,' said the lady, complacently.
Jarley's Wax-Work,' repeated Nell.
That's me,' said the lady. 'I am Mrs Jarley.'
Giving the child an encouraging look, intended to reassure her and let
her know, that, although she stood in the presence of the original
Jarley, she must not allow herself to be utterly overwhelmed and
borne down, the lady of the caravan unfolded another scroll, whereon
was the inscription, 'One hundred figures the full size of life,' and then
another scroll, on which was written, 'The only stupendous collection
of real wax-work in the world,' and then several smaller scrolls with
such inscriptions as 'Now exhibiting within' - 'The genuine and only
Jarley' - 'Jarley's unrivalled collection' - 'Jarley is the delight of the
Nobility and Gentry' - 'The Royal Family are the patrons of Jarley.'
When she had exhibited these leviathans of public announcement to
the astonished child, she brought forth specimens of the lesser fry in
the shape of hand-bills, some of which were couched in the form of
parodies on popular melodies, as 'Believe me if all Jarley's wax-work
so rare' - 'I saw thy show in youthful prime' - 'Over the water to
Jarley;' while, to consult all tastes, others were composed with a view
to the lighter and more facetious spirits, as a parody on the favourite
air of 'If I had a donkey,' beginning
If I know'd a donkey wot wouldn't go To see Mrs JARLEY'S wax-work
show, Do you think I'd acknowledge him? Oh no no! Then run to
Jarley's -
-
besides several compositions in prose, purporting to be dialogues
between the Emperor of China and an oyster, or the Archbishop of
Canterbury and a dissenter on the subject of church-rates, but all
having the same moral, namely, that the reader must make haste to
Jarley's, and that children and servants were admitted at half-price.
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