pon I followed him into the bar,
where, having drawn me a jug of ale, helped himself as usual to a glass
of sherry, and lighted a cigar, he proceeded to explain himself farther.
"What I wants, is to get up a fight between a man and a woman; there
never has yet been such a thing in the ring, and the mere noise of the
matter would bring thousands of people together, quite enough to drink
out--for the thing should be close to my house--all the brewer's stock of
liquids, both good and bad." "But," said I, "you were the other day
boasting of the respectability of your house; do you think that a fight
between a man and a woman close to your establishment would add to its
respectability?" "Confound the respectability of my house!" said the
landlord; "will the respectability of my house pay the brewer, or keep
the roof over my head? No, no! when respectability won't keep a man, do
you see, the best thing is to let it go and wander. Only let me have my
own way, and both the brewer, myself, and every one of us, will be
satisfied. And then the betting--what a deal we may make by the
betting!--and that we shall have all to ourselves, you, I, and the young
woman; the brewer will have no hand in that. I can manage to raise ten
pounds, and if by flashing that about I don't manage to make a hundred,
call me horse." "But, suppose," said I, "the party should lose, on whom
you sport your money, even as the birds did?" "We must first make all
right," said the landlord, "as I told you before; the birds were
irrational beings, and therefore couldn't come to an understanding with
the others, as you and the young woman can. The birds fought fair; but I
intend that you and the young woman should fight cross." "What do you
mean by cross?" said I. "Come, come," said the landlord, "don't attempt
to gammon me; you in the ring, and pretend not to know what fighting
cross is! That won't do, my fine fellow; but as no one is near us, I
will speak out. I intend that you and the young woman should understand
one another, and agree beforehand which should be beat; and if you take
my advice, you will determine between you that the young woman shall be
beat, as I am sure that the odds will run high upon her, her character as
a fist-woman being spread far and wide, so that all the flats who think
it will be all right will back her, as I myself would, if I thought it
would be a fair thing." "Then," said I, "you would not have us fight
fair?" "By