this fellow in black here
for half a crown, or for nothing, if he pleases; it was he that got up
the last dispute between me and the young man, with his Pope and his
nonsense; so I will fight him for anything he pleases, and perhaps the
young man will be my second; whilst you--'

'Come, Doctor,' said the landlord, 'or whatsoever you be, will you go
into the field with Hunter? I'll second you, only you must back
yourself. I'll lay five pounds on Hunter, if you are inclined to back
yourself; and will help you to win it as far, do you see, as a second
can; because why? I always likes to do the fair thing.'

[Picture: Isopel Berners]

'Oh, I have no wish to fight,' said the man in black, hastily; 'fighting
is not my trade. If I have given any offence, I beg anybody's pardon.'

'Landlord,' said I, 'what have I to pay?'

'Nothing at all,' said the landlord; 'glad to see you. This is the first
time that you have been at my house, and I never charge new customers, at
least customers such as you, anything for the first draught. You'll come
again, I daresay; shall always be glad to see you. I won't take it,'
said he, as I put sixpence on the table; 'I won't take it.'

'Yes, you shall,' said I; 'but not in payment for anything I have had
myself: it shall serve to pay for a jug of ale for that gentleman,' said
I, pointing to the simple-looking individual; 'he is smoking a poor pipe.
I do not mean to say that a pipe is a bad thing; but a pipe without ale,
do you see--'

'Bravo!' said the landlord, 'that's just the conduct I like.'

'Bravo!' said Hunter. 'I shall be happy to drink with the young man
whenever I meet him at New York, where, do you see, things are better
managed than here.'

'If I have given offence to anybody,' said the man in black, 'I repeat
that I ask pardon,--more especially to the young gentleman, who was
perfectly right to stand up for his religion, just as I--not that I am of
any particular religion, no more than this honest gentleman here,' bowing
to Hunter; 'but I happen to know something of the Catholics--several
excellent friends of mine are Catholics--and of a surety the Catholic
religion is an ancient religion, and a widely-extended religion, though
it certainly is not a universal religion, but it has of late made
considerable progress, even amongst those nations who have been
particularly opposed to it--amongst the Prussians and the Dutch, for
example, to say noth