eople out of every ten living in forty miles of me. Not through
any excellence, or anything of good desert, in either the one or
the other, but simply because folks will be fools on the rivalry of
wrestling. The art is a fine one in itself, and demands a little wit of
brain, as well as strength of body; it binds the man who studies it to
temperance, and chastity, to self-respect, and most of all to an even
and sweet temper; for I have thrown stronger men than myself (when I was
a mere sapling, and before my strength grew hard on me) through their
loss of temper. But though the art is an honest one, surely they who
excel therein have a right (like all the rest of man-kind) to their own
private life.

Be that either way--and I will not speak too strongly, for fear of
indulging my own annoyance--anyhow, all Watchett town cared ten times as
much to see John Ridd, as to show him what he wanted. I was led to every
public-house, instead of to the churchyard; and twenty tables were ready
for me, in lieu of a single gravestone. "Zummerzett thou bee'st, Jan
Ridd, and Zummerzett thou shalt be. Thee carl theezell a Davonsheer man!
Whoy, thee lives in Zummerzett; and in Zummerzett thee wast barn, lad."
And so it went on, till I was weary; though very much obliged to them.

Dull and solid as I am, and with a wild duck waiting for me at good
Mistress Odam's, I saw that there was nothing for it but to yield to
these good people, and prove me a man of Somerset, by eating a dinner
at their expense. As for the churchyard, none would hear of it; and I
grieved for broaching the matter.

But how was I to meet Lorna again, without having done the thing of all
things which I had promised to see to? It would never do to tell her
that so great was my popularity, and so strong the desire to feed me,
that I could not attend to her mother. Least of all could I say that
every one in Watchett knew John Ridd; while none had heard of the
Countess of Dugal. And yet that was about the truth, as I hinted very
delicately to Mistress Odam that evening. But she (being vexed about her
wild duck, and not having English ideas on the matter of sport, and so
on) made a poor unwitting face at me. Nevertheless Master Odam restored
me to my self-respect; for he stared at me till I went to bed; and he
broke his hose with excitement. For being in the leg-line myself, I
wanted to know what the muscles were of a man who turned a wheel all
day. I had never seen a tread