ng to his wont,
in the little back-parlour; and as Mr. Hayes passed, the old gentleman
addressed him in a friendly voice, and, wondering that he had been such
a stranger, invited him to sit and take a glass of wine. There was a
light and a foreman in the shop; Mr. Hayes gave his injunctions to that
person, and saw no objection to Mr. Wood's invitation.

The conversation, at first a little stiff between the two gentlemen,
began speedily to grow more easy and confidential: and so particularly
bland and good-humoured was Mr., or Doctor Wood, that his companion
was quite caught, and softened by the charm of his manner; and the pair
became as good friends as in the former days of their intercourse.

"I wish you would come down sometimes of evenings," quoth Doctor Wood;
"for, though no book-learned man, Mr. Hayes, look you, you are a man
of the world, and I can't abide the society of boys. There's Tom, now,
since this tiff with Mrs. Cat, the scoundrel plays the Grank Turk here!
The pair of 'em, betwixt them, have completely gotten the upper hand of
you. Confess that you are beaten, Master Hayes, and don't like the boy?"

"No more I do," said Hayes; "and that's the truth on't. A man doth not
like to have his wife's sins flung in his face, nor to be perpetually
bullied in his own house by such a fiery sprig as that."

"Mischief, sir,--mischief only," said Wood: "'tis the fun of youth, sir,
and will go off as age comes to the lad. Bad as you may think him--and
he is as skittish and fierce, sure enough, as a young colt---there is
good stuff in him; and though he hath, or fancies he hath, the right to
abuse every one, by the Lord he will let none others do so! Last week,
now, didn't he tell Mrs. Cat that you served her right in the last
beating matter? and weren't they coming to knives, just as in your case?
By my faith, they were. Ay, and at the "Braund's Head," when some fellow
said that you were a bloody Bluebeard, and would murder your wife,
stab me if Tom wasn't up in an instant and knocked the fellow down for
abusing of you!"

The first of these stories was quite true; the second was only a
charitable invention of Mr. Wood, and employed, doubtless, for the
amiable purpose of bringing the old and young men together. The scheme
partially succeeded; for, though Hayes was not so far mollified towards
Tom as to entertain any affection for a young man whom he had cordially
detested ever since he knew him, yet he felt more at e