He straightened up, and tickled the back of his head with his little
finger, and gaped at her for a minute.
"Why," he said, "that wasn't no excise officer. I know him well--I
was drinking with him at the Royal last night afore we went to bed,
an' had a nip with him this morning afore we started. Why! that's
Bobby Howell, Burns and Bridges' traveller, an' a good sort when he
wakes up, an' willin' with the money when he does good biz, especially
when there's a chanst of a drink on a long road on a dark night."
"That Harry Chatswood again! The infernal villain," she cried, with
a jerk of her arm. "But I'll be even with him, the dirrty blaggard.
An' to think--I always knew Old Jack was a white man an'--to think!
There's fourteen shillin's gone that Old Jack would have paid me, an'
the traveller was good for three shillin's f'r the nips, an'--but Old
Jack will pay me next time, and I'll be even with Harry Chatswood, the
dirrty mail carter. I'll take it out of him in parcels--I'll be even
with him."
She never saw Old Jack again with fourteen shillings, but she got even
with Harry Chatswood, and--- But I'll tell you about that some other
time. Time for a last smoke before we turn in.
MATESHIP IN SHAKESPEARE'S ROME
How we do misquote sayings, or misunderstand them when quoted rightly!
For instance, we "wait for something to turn up, like Micawber,"
careless or ignorant of the fact that Micawber worked harder than all
the rest put together for the leading characters' sakes; he was the
chief or only instrument in straightening out of the sadly mixed state
of things--and he held his tongue till the time came.
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