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Old Saint Paul's - A Tale of the Plague and the Fire by William Harrison Ainsworth
page 53 of 734 (07%)
transferring to his pocket.

The last of the three, whose looks betrayed his character--that of a
sharper and a bully--called himself Major Pillichody, his pretensions to
military rank being grounded upon his service (so ran his own statement,
though it was never clearly substantiated) in the king's army during the
civil wars. Major Pillichody was a man of remarkably fierce exterior.
Seamed with many scars, and destitute of the left eye, the orifice of
which was covered, with a huge black patch; his face was of a deep
mulberry colour, clearly attesting his devotion to the bottle; while his
nose, which was none of the smallest, was covered with "bubukles, and
whelks, and knobs, and flames of fire." He was of the middle size,
stoutly built, and given to corpulency, though not so much so as to
impair his activity. His attire consisted of a cloak and doublet of
scarlet cloth, very much stained and tarnished, and edged with gold
lace, likewise the worse for wear; jack-boots, with huge funnel tops;
spurs, with enormous rowels, and a rapier of preposterous length. He
wore his own hair, which was swart and woolly, like that of a negro; and
had beard and moustaches to match. His hat was fiercely cocked; his
gestures swaggering and insolent; and he was perpetually racking his
brain to invent new and extra-ordinary oaths.

"So soon returned!" cried Parravicin, as Wyvil appeared. "Accept my
congratulations?"

"And mine!" cried Pillichody. "We wild fellows have but to be seen to
conquer. Sugar and spice, and all that's nice!" he added, smacking his
lips, as he filled a glass from a long-necked bottle on the table; "May
the grocer's daughter prove sweeter than her father's plums, and more
melting than his butter! Is she without? Are we to see her?"
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