in, but which sounded very
much like 'vails,' and by which he doubtless alluded to the money which
he had given me. He then went into the house with the rest, the coach
drove away which had brought the others, and I was about to get on the
box and follow; observing, however, two more chaises driving up, I
thought I would be in no hurry, so I just led my horses and chaise a
little out of the way, and pretending to be occupied about the harness, I
kept a tolerably sharp look-out at the new arrivals. Well, partner, the
next vehicle that drove up was a gentleman's carriage which I knew very
well, as well as those within it, who were a father and son, the father a
good kind old gentleman, and a justice of the peace, therefore not very
wise, as you may suppose; the son a puppy who has been abroad, where he
contrived to forget his own language, though only nine months absent, and
now rules the roast over his father and mother, whose only child he is,
and by whom he is thought wondrous clever. So this foreigneering chap
brings his poor old father to this out-of-the-way house to meet these
Platitudes and petty-larceny villains, and perhaps would have brought his
mother too, only, simple thing, by good fortune she happens to be laid up
with the rheumatic. Well, the father and son, I beg pardon, I mean the
son and father, got down and went in, and then after their carriage was
gone, the chaise behind drove up, in which was a huge fat fellow,
weighing twenty stone at least, but with something of a foreign look, and
with him--who do you think? Why, a rascally Unitarian minister, that is,
a fellow who had been such a minister, but who, some years ago leaving
his own people, who had bred him up and sent him to their college at
York, went over to the High Church, and is now, I suppose, going over to
some other church, for he was talking, as he got down, wondrous fast in
Latin, or what sounded something like Latin, to the fat fellow, who
appeared to take things wonderfully easy, and merely grunted to the dog
Latin which the scoundrel had learnt at the expense of the poor
Unitarians at York. So they went into the house, and presently arrived
another chaise, but ere I could make any further observations, the porter
of the out-of-the-way house came up to me, asking what I was stopping
there for? bidding me go away, and not pry into other people's business.
'Pretty business,' said I to him, 'that is being transacted in a place
like this