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‘POD my soul I 'lIa, lial-,-rights,‘ toot”, -
"M10136 yourjoke is over.”' s -
" what have you got to say to me ?” V
- r . .
mm f0’ me. if on lease.”
3' P
' "imdcertairily not of‘ an
I ;J0.l,a'vtn1e-bearer, and I despise all meanness.
Make 1119- ‘ Ah I" cried.Tom, indignantly.
".7i[ARTIN"0IIdZZLE’WIilZ:.s. -
in which he was deterinincdio persevere, set him down
at once for a. deceitful, servilmrniscrable fawner. .So he
was SLl0nt.:' ‘'And‘ though they were all sufliciently un-
comfortable, it is fair to say that Martin was perliapsthel
most so; for he liad.felt.kindly towards Tomjat first,‘
and had been interested by his seeming simplicity. ‘ ; 2 M, '
“‘,You’re like the rest, ’ he tliought,- lancing atthe‘
face of the unconscious -'IA‘om‘.: 2‘,‘,You ad nearlyiime
posed upon me,>but you have lost yourglabour, ‘You’re,‘
too zealous atoad-cater, and betray yourself, Mr. Piiiclij’
" During the whole remainder of the walk, not another
word was spoken. First among the meetings to whicli-
‘Toniliad 'long.vlooked forward,wiAth a beatingheart. it
was memorable for nothing but ernbarrassinent and con-
fusion..":I‘hcy Earted at‘ the Dragon door; and sighing
85 he eatinguis ed the candle in the lantern, Tom turned
back again over the gloomy fields,’ ‘ >’ v . . 4 ‘ ' p . " ' ‘
As he approached the first stile, which was in a. lonely
.lm't,'made very dark by a plantation of‘ young firs, a man
SIEPPEII. past him“and went On‘, before.. Coming to-the‘
Stile he stopped; and -took his seat, upon it. Tomwas
rather.startled.’and for a moment jstood ‘still ; but he
S’fien11)ped forward again immediately, and went close up to
7 7’Itiwa.s Jonas fswiriging his legsto and fro, sucking ,
ihihead of 'a stick‘, andilooking with afsneer at ‘Tom. ; ‘
- , Goodgracious me i" criediTom,‘ “ who would‘ have
gihalltht of its being you i You followed us,‘ then?”
“What's that to you?” said Jonas. “ Go to the devil !”
'- “ You are not very ciVfil,[I think,” remarked Tom; , i‘ '
y.6I.1%i,l;Vll epough for you,”,reterted' J,o'nas.'v “,lVho;aro
1 “ One who has as good a. right to common consideration
a$1=‘1nother,"'said Toin,'mildly. ‘ - ; , , - ,3 ‘
-You’re a liar," sai(l'Jonas.,' “You haven't a right to
’m.Y’Consideratioii‘.‘ You‘ haven't a right to anything;
You re apretty sort of fellow to talk about your ’rights,‘
. ‘i 1‘ )’0I1'prDceed-in this way,’.’ returned Tom, redden-
“1’s"- ,“ you will oblige me'to tall: about my wrongs: vBut
“It's the way with‘ you curs,”, said,Mr: Jonas,’ ‘f that
311.1011‘ you know a man’s in X‘Ci1l‘Cal'I1eSt,‘ you pretend to
1’-1ii11e’s joking, so that you may turn it off. 1 But that
“Ont do with me. It's too stale. , [Now just' attendwto
me fora bit, Mr.‘Pitch, or .VVitch,.oi-, Sticli; or whatever
)‘0urnameis.’.'.':."5.," - .' "5
“MY: name‘ is‘ Pineh,”: observed ‘Tom. “ Have the
. 3'00<iness to call me by it.” ‘
'"Wh=;tt "You musn’t even: be .called,out of yonr
“’l10;.IIiusn’t you I ’,’.cried Jonas.-j “Pauper ’prentiees
are lookin up, I think." Ecod, we manage 'em' a little
bCltC‘X'iX1t ecitya:rr,y.t, Wm - ,9 R H 3, --;
‘-‘Never miiid'what you do in the city,’? said Tom.
f " Just this, Mister Pinch," retorted Jonas, thrusting his
300 So close to Torn‘s that,Tom ,was’0bliged to retreat xi
SF“-P. ‘ I advise you to keep your own counsel, and to avoid
‘W18-tattle, and not to cut in .where you're not wanted.
Ve heard soinetliingvof you,'my friend, and your meek
' ‘lays; Ilnd'I recommend‘ you to forget fem tilllfm mar-
md to one of Pecksniffs gals, and not to curry favour
amimg mY'relations, but to leave the course clear.‘ 4 Y011
“OW, when curs won't leaife the course clear; '9l!‘?Y'1'e
' whiplml 03 :'S0 this is kind adtice; ' Do you iindersffmd‘?
Danime, who are you,” cried'Jonas, with increased
,' cont‘?mPt; “that you should-walk "home with them, un-
e:,S?‘,t, W513 behind ’em,Jike any other servant out of liv-
"0; 001316] ’.’ cried 'l‘om, “ I see that‘ you had better get
the‘ stile, and‘ let‘ me’ pursue my wayvhonie. y Make
" D0n't'think it 1” said Jonas, spreading’, out his legs-
‘ 7‘ Notrtill I choose. ' And I don’t choose now. , VVIHIH
0l1'r.e afraid of my making you split upon some of your
aifblllng ‘just now, are you; Sneak ?,"" V V . .' ' . ‘
. , am not afraid of man thincrs, I hope,”- said Tom ;
hing that youwill do. " I am
You quite
m I ‘ ‘f Is this
an f . . . . -
to mim"$'3‘n? ?5“l‘?.Z ‘2‘$'p‘;22.' “."i’if$’ 1225 1‘ ‘;J?,"‘(i1l bgiiiii
;was:rising fast
‘ liirxiself lay sprawling in the ditch.
.iog9
3 f The lehssyou say)? '2: retorted. J onas,'.dangling his legs
the more, and ta.king.:no heed o‘f"tliis"re'quest: ‘.‘ You
say vei‘-y'1ittle, don’t you 7' Ecod,"I should like‘to'knoi‘y
-what goes on-between you-andyavagabond member of I
my family. ' Tliere’sVfery little in ,that,‘; too, I‘ damsay L”
“ I‘know no Vagabond member of. 'your,fainily,”
Tom,stoutly.. . r “ ‘
“You'do l’.’said Jonas.1 5 " f M Hf
“‘ I’. don’t,”' said‘ Tomli‘: “..Youi-A"uncle’s namesake, if
you mecui him, is no Vagabond. ‘Any comparison between
you aiidfhim ”-Tomgsiiapped his'fingers.at'l1im,‘ for he
in wrath‘-“. is immeasurably to your dis-
1
,. .'
,.'::dvantag’e1";fbf' 4 , , ,v , I , , g ,4
' “Oh indeed!” sneered Jonas. . “Andi-what‘ do you
think of‘ his deary- his’-beggarly leavings, feh, Mr.
Pincli:?”" ’i ‘ ‘ ‘i t ‘ i T 1-“
“I,do'n’t mean ptoisay another word,‘ sttayllieref an’.
other instant," replied Torn. ’ ‘ ’ " "‘-
“As I told you'before, you’re'a liar,"'said.;Jonas,
coolly. - “ Xo11’ll stay here till I-give you leave togo.
Now keep where you are, will you 1" . ,. . ’ I T’, 3 ‘
He iiourished his stick over ’1‘om’s head ; but in a m6-
ment itwas spinniiig'liarrnlessly. in, the air, and‘Joiias
In the momentary
strugglefor the stick, Tom had brought, it into violent
contact withiliis opponent’s forehead ;‘ and the blootl
welled out profusely from it deep'cut.on the temple.
v Tom was first apprised of this by seeingltliat’ be. pressed
his handkerchief to the‘ wounded part, and staggered as
herose: being stunned. . C 7‘. .' ,
.“Are you hurt?.-’’. said Tom.-7' .f‘.I rim .very sorry.
Lean on me fora moment. . 'You.‘can‘ do ‘that. without
'forgiving me; if you still bear me" ,m‘alice‘." But,-I ‘ (lonft
k'riow,wliy': forl never ‘oifended you before we..met on
thisspot.” . ‘i v 7 ? .‘ '. ‘ " '-
.He made him no ‘answer’: not appearingat first to un-
derstand hini, orievento know that‘ he, was hurt, though
he severaltinies took his handkerchief from.the cut to
look vacantly at the blood upon‘ it.‘ After’ one’ ofjtliese
examinations, he Iookedat Tom, and then there was an
expression in his features, which showed that.lie‘undei'-
stood whatvhad‘taJ:en'place, and would remember it. "
- Nothingtniore passed betweenxtlieni as tliey,.werit.
home." Jonas kept a little in a5lvaiice,'and‘ Tom Pinch
sadly followed :‘ tliinking of the grief which the knowl-
edgevof tliis,q'u‘arrel must occasion his excellent. bene-
factor. 'When Jonasyknocked at the door,‘ Tom’s.lie:irt
beat high; higher when Miss Mercy answered it, an'tl
seein her wounded loi.‘er,'shrieked aloud ; higher when
he fo lowed them into the’ family parlour ; higher ,tl121l1-
at any, other, time when Jonas spoke. , , .-2 , . ,
,‘ “ Don’t niiilie "a noise about it,’ hesaid. ., " It's noth-
ing worth mentioning. -.I didn’t know ytheroad; the
night's - very dark ; ." and just as I .ctime (up with,Mi'.
Pinch,"-he turned his face towards Tom,'bnt not his
e es-“I ran ugainsta. tree. ' It’s only skin deep.” I
v ‘,‘.Cold water, Merry, mycliildl ” cried Mr. Pecksniil.
“ Brown‘ paper I Scissors I ‘A piece of old linen 1. Charity,’
my dear, make a bandage. ‘- Bless me, Mr. Jonas 1 ”,, ‘
"Oh. bother yourwnonsense,”.,return.ed the gracious
son-in-law elect. “Be of some use if you can.’ ,, If you
can’t,‘getoutl" . T‘ ’ W vr .. ' .' L
-Miss Ch21rity,'though called upon to lend her aid, sa
upright in one corner, withii smile upon her’ face,’ and
didn’t-move afinger. [Though Mercy hired ; the Jvoiinil
herself ;’and Mr. Pecksniff-held. the patient’s head be-
tween his l.W0'll!1ndS, as if without that assistance it
'must.inevitably‘come in half; and..T0m PinCll..in his
guiltykigitation, shook‘a bottle of Dutch ‘Drops "until
they were nothingbut EnglisheFrotli‘, and in his other
hand sustained a formidable carving-knife“ really in-
x
etended to reduce the‘ swelling, but apparently‘. designed
n of another wound as; soon as
that was dressed ;‘Charity rendered not the least assis-
tance, nor uttered a word. .But when Mr. J onas’s‘liear1
was bound up, and he had gone to bed, and everybody
else liadretired, and the house was quiet..a‘ir. Pinch, as
he sat mournfully on his .bedstead, ruminating, heardla
gentle tap at his door; and,‘ opening it, saw her, to his
great astonishment, standing before him with her finger
]',’ ‘. ..
0>n‘i.]llIrr.li)’incii,” she. whispered. . ‘f Dear Mr. Pinclrl tell
for the ruthless inflictio
cried-