Mrs Varden expressed her
sympathy for her daughter's distress by scolding her roundly for being
so late; and the honest locksmith divided himself between condoling with
and kissing Dolly, and shaking hands heartily with Joe, whom he could
not sufficiently praise or thank.
In reference to this latter point, old John was far from agreeing with
his friend; for besides that he by no means approved of an adventurous
spirit in the abstract, it occurred to him that if his son and heir had
been seriously damaged in a scuffle, the consequences would assuredly
have been expensive and inconvenient, and might perhaps have proved
detrimental to the Maypole business. Wherefore, and because he looked
with no favourable eye upon young girls, but rather considered that they
and the whole female sex were a kind of nonsensical mistake on the part
of Nature, he took occasion to retire and shake his head in private at
the boiler; inspired by which silent oracle, he was moved to give Joe
various stealthy nudges with his elbow, as a parental reproof and gentle
admonition to mind his own business and not make a fool of himself.
Joe, however, took down the lantern and lighted it; and arming himself
with a stout stick, asked whether Hugh was in the stable.
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