course of the conversation, which turned upon the power and
greatness of the kings of France and England, Mr. Pipes had been pleased
to treat his most Christian Majesty with great disrespect; and when he,
the entertainer, expostulated with him in a friendly manner about his
impolite behaviour, observing, that he, being in the French service,
would be under the necessity of resenting his abuse if he did not put a
stop to it before the other gentlemen of the cloth should comprehend
his meaning; he had set them all three at defiance, dishonoured him in
particular with the opprobrious epithet of rebel to his native king and
country, and even drunk, in broken French, to the perdition of Louis and
all his adherents; that, compelled by this outrageous conduct, he, as
the person who had recommended him to their society, had, in vindication
of his own character, demanded of the delinquent, who, on pretence
of fetching a sword, had gone to his lodging, from whence he all of a
sudden sallied upon them with the mopstick, which he employed in the
annoyance of them all without distinction, so that they were obliged to
draw in their own defence.

Pipes, being questioned by his master with regard to the truth of this
account, owned that every circumstance was justly represented; saying,
he did not value their cheese-toasters a pinch of oakum; and that if the
gentleman had not shot in betwixt them, he would have trimmed them
to such a tune, that they should not have had a whole yard to square.
Peregrine reprimanded him sharply for his unmannerly behaviour, and
insisted upon his asking pardon of those he had injured upon the spot:
but no consideration was efficacious enough to produce such concession;
to this command he was both deaf and dumb; and the repeated threats
of his master had no more effect than if they had been addressed to a
marble statue. At length, our hero, incensed at his obstinacy, started
up, and would have chastised him with manual operation, had not he been
prevented by the chevalier, who found means to moderate his indignation
so far that he contented himself with dismissing the offender from his
service; and after having obtained the discharge of the prisoners, gave
them a louis to drink, by way of recompense for the disgrace and damage
they had sustained.

The knight, perceiving our young gentleman very much ruffled at
this accident, and reflecting upon the extraordinary deportment and
appearance of his valet, who