Note 113 — Chapter XXXIX · MAINCHANCE VILLA

Quarterly Review, No. xxxi. p. 249. The reader will be reminded of Croaker in the fourth act of the Good-natured Man: ‘Blood and gunpowder in every line of it. Blown up! murderous dogs! all blown up! (Reads.) “Our pockets are low, and money we must have.” Ay, there’s the reason: they’ll blow us up because they have got low pockets.... Perhaps this moment I’m treading on lighted matches, blazing brimstone, and barrels of gunpowder. They are preparing to blow me up into the clouds. Murder!... Here, John, Nicodemus, search the house. Look into the cellars, to see if there be any combustibles below, and above in the apartments, that no matches be thrown in at the windows. Let all the fires be put out, and let the engine be drawn out in the yard, to play upon the house in case of necessity.’—Croaker was a deep politician. The engine to play upon the house: mark that!