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 lump of sugar in it," said I, and struck the
table with my fist.

"Take some?" said the landlord, inquiringly.

"No," said I, "only something came into my head."

"He's mad," said the man in black.

"Not he," said the Radical. "He's only shamming; he knows his master is
here, and therefore has recourse to those manoeuvres, but it won't do.
Come, landlord, what are you staring at? Why don't you obey your orders?
Keeping your customers waiting in this manner is not the way to increase
your business."

The landlord looked at the Radical, and then at me. At last, taking the
jug and glass, he left the apartment, and presently returned with each
filled with its respective liquor. He placed the jug with beer before
the Radical, and the glass with the gin and water before the man in
black, and then, with a wink to me, he sauntered out.

"Here is your health, sir," said the man of the snuff-coloured coat,
addressing himself to the man in black, "I honour you for what you said
about the Church of England. Every one who speaks against the Church of
England has my warm heart. Down with it, I say, and may the stones of it
be used for mending the roads, as my friend William says in his
Register."

The man in black,