have been worse."

"Worse--um--no, nothing worse--not possible."

"Why, sir, you might have been killed."

"Pooh!--didn't mean that--mean Pleggit--rascal--um--kill me if he
can--sha'n't though--soon get rid of him--and so on."

"You will not require his further attendance now that your shoulder is
reduced. I can very well attend upon you."

"Very true, Japhet;--but won't go--sure of that--damned rascal--quite
pleased--I saw it--um--eyes twinkled--smile checked--and so on."

That evening Mr Pleggit called in as Mr Cophagus said that he would,
and the latter showed a great deal of impatience; but Mr Pleggit
repeated his visits over and over again, and I observed that Mr Cophagus
no longer made any objection; on the contrary, seemed anxious for his
coming, and still more so, after he was convalescent, and able to sit at
his table. But the mystery was soon divulged. It appeared that Mr
Cophagus, although he was very glad that other people should suffer from
mad bulls, and come to be cured, viewed the case in a very different
light when the bull thought proper to toss him, and having now realised
a comfortable independence, he had resolved to retire from business, and
from a site attended with so much danger. A hint of this escaping him
when Mr Pleggit was attending him on the third day after his accident,
the latter, who knew the value of the _locale_, also hinted that if Mr
Cophagus was inclined so to do, that he would be most happy to enter
into an arrangement with him. Self-interest will not only change
friendship into enmity, in this rascally world, but also turn enmity
into friendship. All Mr Pleggit's enormities, and all Mr Cophagus'
shameful conduct, were mutually forgotten. In less than ten minutes it
was, "_My dear Mr Pleggit_, and so on," and "_My dear brother
Cophagus_."

In three weeks every thing had been arranged between them, and the shop,
fixtures, stock in trade, and good will, were all the property of our
ancient antagonist. But although Mr Pleggit could shake hands with Mr
Cophagus for his fixtures and _good will_, yet as Timothy and I were not
included in the _good will_, neither were we included among the
_fixtures_, and Mr Cophagus could not, of course, interfere with Mr
Pleggit's private arrangements. He did all he could do in the way of
recommendation, but Mr Pleggit had not forgotten my occasional
impertinences or the battle of the bottles. I really believe that his
_ill will_ against Timot