the great American nation!' said I; 'I rather paid them
a compliment.'

'By supposing they would put me in the stocks. Well, I call it abusing
them, to suppose they would do any such thing--stocks, indeed!'--there
are no stocks in all the land. Put me in the stocks! why, the President
will come down to the quay, and ask me to dinner, as soon as he hears
what I have said about the King and Church.'

'I shouldn't wonder,' said I, 'if you go to America you will say of the
President and country what now you say of the King and Church, and cry
out for somebody to send you back to England.'

The Radical dashed his pipe to pieces against the table. 'I tell you
what, young fellow, you are a spy of the aristocracy, sent here to kick
up a disturbance.'

'Kicking up a disturbance,' said I, 'is rather inconsistent with the
office of spy. If I were a spy, I should hold my head down, and say
nothing.'

The man in black partially raised his head, and gave me another peculiar
glance.

'Well, if you aren't sent to spy, you are sent to bully, to prevent
people speaking, and to run down the great American nation; but you
shan't bully me. I say, down with the aristocracy, the beggarly British
aristocracy. Come, what have you to say to that?'

'Nothing,' said I.

'Nothing!' repeated the Radical.

'No,' said I, 'down with them as soon as you can.'

'As soon as I can! I wish I could. But I can down with a bully of
theirs. Come, will you fight for them?'

'No,' said I.

'You won't?'

'No,' said I; 'though, from what I have seen of them, I should say they
are tolerably able to fight for themselves.'

'You won't fight for them,' said the Radical triumphantly; 'I thought so;
all bullies, especially those of the aristocracy, are cowards. Here,
landlord,' said he, raising his voice, and striking against the table
with the jug, 'some more ale--he won't fight for his friends.'

'A white feather,' said his companion.

'He! he!' tittered the man in black.

'Landlord, landlord,' shouted the Radical, striking the table with the
jug louder than before. 'Who called?' said the landlord, coming in at
last. 'Fill this jug again,' said the other, 'and be quick about it.'
'Does any one else want anything?' said the landlord. 'Yes,' said the
man in black; 'you may bring me another glass of gin and water.' 'Cold!'
said the landlord. 'Yes,' said the man in black, 'with a lump of sugar
in it.'

'Gin and water cold, with a lu