FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   1405   1406   1407   1408   1409   1410   1411   1412   1413   1414   1415   1416   1417   1418   1419   1420   1421   1422   1423   1424   1425   1426   1427   1428   1429  
1430   1431   1432   1433   1434   1435   1436   1437   1438   1439   1440   1441   1442   1443   1444   1445   1446   1447   1448   1449   1450   1451   1452   1453   1454   >>   >|  
eir feelin's. Don't you forget that, sir. Lay that up in your mind.' Now the postillion having thus relieved himself, jeeringly asked permission to smoke a pipe. To which Evan said, 'Pray, smoke, if it pleases you.' And the postillion, hardly mollified, added, 'The baccy's paid for,' and smoked. As will sometimes happen, the feelings of the man who had spoken out and behaved doubtfully, grew gentle and Christian, whereas those of the man whose bearing under the trial had been irreproachable were much the reverse. The postillion smoked--he was a lord on his horse; he beheld my gentleman trudging in the dust. Awhile he enjoyed the contrast, dividing his attention between the footfarer and moon. To have had the last word is always a great thing; and to have given my gentleman a lecture, because he shunned a dispute, also counts. And then there was the poor young fellow trudging to his father's funeral! The postillion chose to remember that now. In reality, he allowed, he had not very much to complain of, and my gentleman's courteous avoidance of provocation (the apparent fact that he, the postillion, had humbled him and got the better of him, equally, it may be), acted on his fine English spirit. I should not like to leave out the tobacco in this good change that was wrought in him. However, he presently astonished Evan by pulling up his horses, and crying that he was on his way to Hillford to bait, and saw no reason why he should not take a lift that part of the road, at all events. Evan thanked him briefly, but declined, and paced on with his head bent. 'It won't cost you nothing-not a sixpence!' the postillion sang out, pursuing him. 'Come, sir! be a man! I ain't a hintin' at anything--jump in.' Evan again declined, and looked out for a side path to escape the fellow, whose bounty was worse to him than his abuse, and whose mention of the sixpence was unlucky. 'Dash it!' cried the postillion, 'you're going down to a funeral--I think you said your father's, sir--you may as well try and get there respectable--as far as I go. It's one to me whether you're in or out; the horses won't feel it, and I do wish you'd take a lift and welcome. It's because you're too much of a gentleman to be beholden to a poor man, I suppose!' Evan's young pride may have had a little of that base mixture in it, and certainly he would have preferred that the invitation had not been made to him; but he was capable of appreciating what t
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   1405   1406   1407   1408   1409   1410   1411   1412   1413   1414   1415   1416   1417   1418   1419   1420   1421   1422   1423   1424   1425   1426   1427   1428   1429  
1430   1431   1432   1433   1434   1435   1436   1437   1438   1439   1440   1441   1442   1443   1444   1445   1446   1447   1448   1449   1450   1451   1452   1453   1454   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
postillion
 

gentleman

 

sixpence

 

trudging

 

funeral

 

father

 

declined

 
fellow
 

horses

 
smoked

However

 

presently

 

astonished

 

change

 

wrought

 
Hillford
 

events

 
thanked
 

briefly

 

reason


crying

 
pulling
 

beholden

 

suppose

 

invitation

 

capable

 

appreciating

 
preferred
 

mixture

 

respectable


looked
 

escape

 
bounty
 

hintin

 

mention

 

unlucky

 

pursuing

 

spoken

 

behaved

 

doubtfully


feelings

 

happen

 

gentle

 
irreproachable
 
reverse
 

Christian

 
bearing
 

relieved

 

feelin

 

forget