Lofty pillars formed of cannon, superposed upon huge mortars as a base, supported the fine
ironwork of the arches, a perfect piece of cast-iron lacework.
The doors had been torn from their hinges and removed; the linings had been stripped off, only a shred hanging here and there by a rusty nail; the lamps were gone, the poles had long since vanished, the ironwork was rusty, the paint was worn away; the wind whistled through the chinks in the bare woodwork; and the rain, which had collected on the roofs, fell, drop by drop, into the insides with a hollow and melancholy sound.
The mail coach doors were on their hinges, the lining was replaced, the ironwork was as good as new, the paint was restored, the lamps were alight; cushions and greatcoats were on every coach-box, porters were thrusting parcels into every boot, guards were stowing away letter-bags, hostlers were dashing pails of water against the renovated wheels; numbers of men were pushing about, fixing poles into every coach; passengers arrived, portmanteaus were handed up, horses were put to; in short, it was perfectly clear that every mail there, was to be off directly.
and the chased
ironwork, which drove Biscornette to despair?
"Besides, even if he had tried to do it, he would have brought all that
ironwork down to the ground.
Then I came to a flight of steps, and then to a blind door, secured by a latch of elaborate Eastern
ironwork, which I could only trace by touch, but which I loosened at last.
Once the chords began to buckle, there were thousands of tons of
ironwork, all riveted together and lying in midair without support.
Ar rayed--I MUST say arrayed--arrayed artlessly in dazzling white paint as to wood and dark green as to
ironwork the simple-minded distribution of these colours evoked the images of simple-minded peace, of arcadian felicity; and the childish comedy of disease and sorrow struck me sometimes as an abom inably real blot upon that ideal state.
The merchant in London, vesting this hundred pounds in English goods, such as the captain had written for, sent them directly to him at Lisbon, and he brought them all safe to me to the Brazils; among which, without my direction (for I was too young in my business to think of them), he had taken care to have all sorts of tools,
ironwork, and utensils necessary for my plantation, and which were of great use to me.
My cargo, as near as I can recollect, for I have not kept account of the particulars, consisted of a sufficient quantity of linen, and some English thin stuffs, for clothing the Spaniards that I expected to find there; and enough of them, as by my calculation might comfortably supply them for seven years; if I remember right, the materials I carried for clothing them, with gloves, hats, shoes, stockings, and all such things as they could want for wearing, amounted to about two hundred pounds, including some beds, bedding, and household stuff, particularly kitchen utensils, with pots, kettles, pewter, brass, &c.; and near a hundred pounds more in
ironwork, nails, tools of every kind, staples, hooks, hinges, and every necessary thing I could think of.
He was musing deeply by the mixed
ironwork and ashes of his vanished motor-bicycle, a melancholy figure.
"And who bought the
ironworks of Manson and of Shuman and of Van Deher and of Atwood, which have all been given up of late?"