But Mr.Jellyband was peremptory.He had other views for his buxom daughter, his only child, who would in God's good time become the owner of "The Fisherman's Rest," than to see her married to one of these young fellows who earned but a precarious livelihood with their net.
"Did ye hear me speak, me girl?" he said in that quiet tone, which no one inside the inn dared to disobey."Get on with my Lord Tony's supper, for, if it ain't the best we can do, and `e not satisfied, see what you'll get, that's all."Reluctantly Sally obeyed.
"Is you `xpecting special guests then to-night, Mr.
Jellyband?" asked Jimmy Pitkin, in a loyal attempt to divert his host's attention from the circumstances connected with Sally's exit from the room.
"Aye! that I be," replied Jellyband, "friends of my Lord Tony hisself.Dukes and duchesses from over the water yonder, whom the young lord and his friend, Sir Andrew Ffoulkes, and other young noblemen have helped out of the clutches of them murderin' devils."But this was too much for Mr.Hempseed's querulous philosophy.
"Lud!" he said, "what do they do that for, I wonder? I don't 'old not with interferin' in other folks' ways.As the Scriptures say--""Maybe, Mr.`Empseed," interrupted Jellyband, with biting sarcasm, "as you're a personal friend of Mr.Pitt, and as you says along with Mr.Fox: `Let `em murder!' says you.""Pardon me, Mr.Jellyband," febbly protested Mr.Hempseed, "Idunno as I ever did."
But Mr.Jellyband had at last succeeded in getting upon his favourite hobby-horse, and had no intention of dismounting in any hurry.
"Or maybe you've made friends with some of them French chaps 'oo they do say have come over here o' purpose to make us Englishmen agree with their murderin' ways.""I dunno what you mean, Mr.Jellyband," suggested Mr.
Hempseed, "all I know is--"
"All _I_ know is," loudly asserted mine host, "that there was my friend Peppercorn, `oo owns the `Blue-Faced Boar,' an' as true and loyal an Englishman as you'd see in the land.And now look at 'im!--'E made friends with some o' them frog-eaters, `obnobbed with them just as if they was Englishmen, and not just a lot of immoral, Godforsaking furrin' spies.Well! and what happened? Peppercorn `e now ups and talks of revolutions, and liberty, and down with the aristocrats, just like Mr.`Empseed over `ere!""Pardon me, Mr.Jellyband," again interposed Mr.Hempseed feebly, "I dunno as I ever did--"Mr.Jellyband had appealed to the company in general, who were listening awe-struck and open-mouthed at the recital of Mr.
Peppercorn's defalcations.At one table two customers--gentlemen apparently by their clothes--had pushed aside their half-finished game of dominoes, and had been listening for some time, and evidently with much amusement at Mr.Jellyband's international opinions.One of them now, with a quiet, sarcastic smile still lurking round the corners of his mobile mouth, turned towards the centre of the room where Mr.
Jellyband was standing.
"You seem to think, mine honest friend," he said quietly, "that these Frenchmen,--spies I think you called them--are mighty clever fellows to have made mincemeat so to speak of your friend Mr.
