ivery; but polishing away, and
accompanying the task with the hissing noise generally accorded to
horses.

His lordship did not speak, but turned his back upon the group; and but
for sundry recollections of his embarrassments which at the present
moment intruded themselves painfully upon him, it is most probable that
my lord the Viscount and prospective Earl and peer of the realm, would
have hurriedly taken his departure from the neighbourhood of Merland.
As it was, he submitted to the cleansing process so liberally bestowed
upon him by the groom. Then, holding his handkerchief to his cheek, he
turned to face Norton, to find that he was already a hundred yards off,
walking by the side of Isa's mare; and soon after they disappeared at a
turn of the road.

"Curse him!" exclaimed his lordship, with a fierce and bitter
imprecation.

"Ketched yer unaweers, my lord, didn't he?" said the groom, who, with
his bridle over his arm, still kept up his hissing and rubbing process.
"If you'd ha' throwed up your left arm sharp, my lord, and then let go
with your right, I don't know but what you might ha stopped him, and
planted one for yourself. But per'aps, arter all, it was very doubtful,
for that was as sharp a cutter as ever I did see."

His lordship did not seem to heed the friendly counsel, for, turning
upon his heel, he strode hastily away in the opposite direction to that
taken by Isa Gernon, muttering angrily, and evidently smarting with
pain.

"I'm blest if I don't think," muttered Peter, the groom, as he slowly
inducted a foot to its stirrup, and then lazily threw a leg over the
horse's back, and began to put on his gloves--"I'm blest if I don't
think as the higher yer gets up in serciety, the shabbier yer grows.
Now, if that 'ere had been, say, a working man, or a lab'rer, and I'd
set him upon his pins, and rubbed him down, he'd per'aps not ha' said,
`Here's the price of a pint, mate,' but he'd ha' stood a pint, safe; and
if it had been a plain gent, such as that young Squire Norton, he'd ha'
give a shilling, per'aps 'arf a crown, or one o' them duffing two-bob
bits; but as for my fine lord here, he don't so much as say thanky, let
alone show you the colour of his money; while, getting up higher still,
if it had been a Juke, blow me if I don't think he'd ha' kicked me for
what I did. Well, just as they like, and it's all one a hundred years
to come. All I can say, though, is, as it served his grand lordship
joll