prompted by reading a mark twain farce of 19th century etiquette guides...

... which included a very long-winded explanation of how a young gentleman might request permission to rescue a young lady from "the fiery doom which now, with crimson wing, o'ershadows us."

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paraphrased from IM
I have an urge to write a farce!fic and steal that line. It's perfection. But who'd be saving whom? Perhaps Babbington. He's got no taste in women, and would even say it to Stephen if he were in a dress.... That's it!


Stephen has his suspicions regarding Jagiello's true gender, and raises them to Jack, who simply cannot conceive of any such thing.
"But, for all love, it is quite possible for a woman to disguise herself as a man; it is only a matter of the right sort of clothing. See, joy, were I to obtain a feminine wig and to don a dress - [draping a sheet from Jack's bed around himself fetchingly] I daresay I could pass quite well for a female, were it dark."
Jack feels himself on the verge of a joke, but is unable to catch it.

And then something blows up.

Jack runs topside and realizes the ship is sinking and calls to abandon ship, which prompts Stephen to forget he is wearing a bedsheet and hurry to his own cabin to grab his laudanum. On his return trip, Babbington, rather in his cups, sees Stephen's garment and, in the darkness and confusion, DOES mistake him for female, and gallantly offers his assistance in escaping the watery doom which now, with crimson wing, o'ershadows them (a line he stole from Mowett).

TEH GLORY

(no subject)

My sister invited me to give a reading at her wedding ceremony, although she indicated clearly that she would not be slighted were I to decline; one of her other friends would also be quite willing. I did choose to decline, as I hate speaking in front of groups and moreover I shall have quite enough to handle what with being both Main Videographer and Assistant Photographer. I am, however, quite willing to propose a toast at the reception following, if such a thing is quite proper.

I ask your assistance in finding, or making up wholecloth, an appropriate toast for my sister's second marriage, which is to her high school sweetheart, and which makes me an Instant Aunt as she will now have two stepchildren between the ages of 6 and 10.