"Don't I?" said the landlord; "and I'll treat them more so yet; now I have got the whiphand of the rascals I intend to keep it.I dare say you are a bit surprised with regard to the change which has come over things since you were last here.I'll tell you how it happened.You remember in what a desperate condition you found me, thinking of changing my religion, selling my soul to the man in black, and then going and hanging myself like Pontius Pilate; and I dare say you can't have forgotten how you gave me good advice, made me drink ale, and give up sherry.Well, after you were gone, Ifelt all the better for your talk, and what you had made me drink, and it was a mercy that I did feel better; for my niece was gone out, poor thing, and I was left alone in the house, without a soul to look at, or to keep me from doing myself a mischief in case I was so inclined.Well, things wore on in this way till it grew dusk, when in came that blackguard Hunter with his train to drink at my expense, and to insult me as usual; there were more than a dozen of them, and a pretty set they looked.Well, they ordered about in a very free and easy manner for upwards of an hour and a half, occasionally sneering and jeering at me, as they had been in the habit of doing for some time past; so, as I said before, things wore on, and other customers came in, who, though they did not belong to Hunter's gang, also passed off their jokes upon me; for, as you perhaps know, we English are a set of low hounds, who will always take part with the many by way of making ourselves safe, and currying favour with the stronger side.I said little or nothing, for my spirits had again become very low, and I was verily scared and afraid.All of a sudden I thought of the ale which I had drank in the morning, and of the good it did me then, so I went into the bar, opened another bottle, took a glass, and felt better; so I took another, and feeling better still, I went back into the kitchen, just as Hunter and his crew were about leaving.
'Mr.Hunter,' said I, 'you and your people will please to pay me for what you have had?' 'What do you mean by my people?'
said he, with an oath.'Ah, what do you mean by calling us his people?' said the clan.'We are nobody's people;' and then there was a pretty load of abuse, and threatening to serve me out.'Well,' said I, 'I was perhaps wrong to call them your people, and beg your pardon and theirs.And now you will please to pay me for what you have had yourself, and afterwards I can settle with them.' 'I shall pay you when Ithink fit,' said Hunter.'Yes,' said the rest, 'and so shall we.We shall pay you when we think fit.' 'I tell you what,'
said Hunter, 'I conceives I do such an old fool as you an honour when I comes into his house and drinks his beer, and goes away without paying for it;' and then there was a roar of laughter from everybody, and almost all said the same thing.'Now do you please to pay me, Mr.Hunter?' said I.
'Pay you!' said Hunter; 'pay you! Yes, here's the pay;' and thereupon he held out his thumb, twirling it round till it just touched my nose.I can't tell you what I felt that moment; a kind of madhouse thrill came upon me, and all Iknow is, that I bent back as far as I could, then lunging out, struck him under the ear, sending him reeling two or three yards, when he fell on the floor.I wish you had but seen how my company looked at me and at each other.One or two of the clan went to raise Hunter, and get him to fight, but it was no go; though he was not killed, he had had enough for that evening.Oh, I wish you had seen my customers;those who did not belong to the clan, but who had taken part with them, and helped to jeer and flout me, now came and shook me by the hand, wishing me joy, and saying as, how 'Iwas a brave fellow, and had served the bully right!' As for the clan, they all said Hunter was bound to do me justice; so they made him pay me what he owed for himself, and the reckoning of those among them who said they had no money.
