speak, which had the effect of bringing him to earth once more, and
this voice said, loftily--

"You seem to be interested, sir--handsome house, sir--very handsome
house, sir--also the occupants thereof."

Verty looked, and descried a gentleman of very odd appearance, who was
looking at him intently. This gentleman was slender of limb, and tall;
his lower extremities were clad in a tight pair of short breeches,
beneath which, scarlet stockings plunged themselves into enormous
shoes, decorated with huge rosettes; his coat was half-military,
half-fop; and a long sword buckled round his waist, knocked
against his fantastic grasshopper legs. His hair was frizzled; his
countenance, a most extraordinary one; his manner, a mixture of the
hero and the bully, of noble dignity and truculent swagger, as if
Ancient Pistol had taken the part of Coriolanus, and had not become
proficient wholly in his lofty personation.

When this gentleman walked, his long sword bobbed, as we have said,
against his legs; when he bowed, his attitude was full of dignity;
when he grimaced, he presented an appearance which would have
made Punchinello serious, and induced a circus clown to fall into
convulsions of despair.

This was the figure which now stood before Verty, and caused that
young man to lower his eyes from the roof and the pigeons. Verty
looked at the gentleman for a moment, and smiled.

"It is a handsome house," he said.