elf: 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 nothing of the English; and then, in the East, amongst
the Persians, among the Armenians."

"The Armenians," said I; "O dear me, the Armenians--"

"Have you anything to say about these people, sir?" said the man in
black, lifting up his glass to his mouth.

"I have nothing further to say," said I, "than that the roots of Ararat
are occasionally found to be deeper than those of Rome."

"There's half-a-crown broke," said the landlord, as the man in black let
fall the glass, which was broken to pieces on the floor. "You will pay
me the damage, friend, before you leave this kitchen. I like to see
people drink freely in my kitchen, but not too freely, and I hate
breakages; because why? I keeps a decent kind of an establishment."

CHAPTER LXXXIX.

The Dingle--Give them Ale--Not over Complimentary--America--Many
People--Washington--Promiscuous Company--Language of the Roads--The Old
Women--Numerals--The Man in Black.

The public-house where the scenes which I have attempted to describe in
the preceding chapters took place, was at the distance of about two miles
from the dingle. The sun was sinking in the west by the time I returned
to the latter spot. I found Belle seated by a fire, over which her
kettle was suspended. During my absence she had prepared herse