ejoin his fair charge. But
Clifford was a man who had seen in a short time a great deal of the
world, and knew tolerably well the theories of society, if not the
practice of its minutiae; moreover, he was of an acute and resolute
temper, and these properties of mind, natural and acquired, told him
that he was now in a situation in which it had become more necessary
to defy than to conciliate. Instead therefore of retiring he walked
deliberately up to Mauleverer, and said,--

"My lord, I shall leave it to the judgment of your guests to decide
whether you have acted the part of a nobleman and a gentleman in thus,
in your domains, insulting one who has given you such explanation of
his trespass as would fully excuse him in the eyes of all considerate or
courteous persons. I shall also leave it to them to decide whether the
tone of your inquiry allowed me to give you any further apology. But
I shall take it upon myself, my lord, to demand from you an immediate
explanation of your last speech."

"Insolent!" cried Mauleverer, colouring with indignation, and almost for
the first time in his life losing absolute command over his temper; "do
you bandy words with me? Begone, or I shall order my servants to thrust
you forth!"

"Begone, sir! begone!" cried several voices in echo to Mauleverer,
from those persons who deemed it now high time to take part with the
powerful.

Clifford stood his ground, gazing around with a look of angry and
defying contempt, which, joined to his athletic frame, his dark and
fierce eye, and a heavy riding-whip, which, as if mechanically, he half
raised, effectually kept the murmurers from proceeding to violence.

"Poor pretender to breeding and to sense!" said he, disdainfully turning
to Mauleverer; "with one touch of this whip I could shame you forever,
or compel you to descend from the level of your rank to that of mine,
and the action would be but a mild return to your language. But I love
rather to teach you than to correct. According to my creed, my lord, he
conquers most in good breeding who forbears the most,--scorn enables me
to forbear! Adieu!"

With this, Clifford turned on his heel and strode away. A murmur,
approaching to a groan, from the younger or sillier part of the
parasites (the mature and the sensible have no extra emotion to throw
away), followed him as he disappeared.

CHAPTER XXII.

Outlaw. Stand, sir, and throw us that you have about you!

Val. Ruffia