‘I am in no mood for more noise and riot,’ thought Nicholas,‘and yet,
tods handbags, do what I will, I shall have an altercation with this honestblockhead, and perhaps a blow or two from yonder staff.’
In truth, there appeared some reason to expect that such aresult would follow from the encounter, for John Browdie nosooner saw Nicholas advancing, than he reined in his horse by thefootpath, and waited until such time as he should come up; lookingmeanwhile, very sternly between the horse’s ears, at Nicholas, ashe came on at his leisure.
‘Servant, young genelman,’ said John.
‘Yours,’ said Nicholas.
‘Weel; we ha’ met at last,’ observed John, making the stirrup ring under a smart touch of the ash stick.
‘Yes,’ replied Nicholas, hesitating. ‘Come!’ he said, frankly, aftera moment’s pause, ‘we parted on no very good terms the last timewe met; it was my fault, I believe; but I had no intention ofoffending you, and no idea that I was doing so. I was very sorry forit, afterwards. Will you shake hands?’
‘Shake honds!’ cried the good-humoured Yorkshireman; ‘ah!
that I weel;’ at the same time, he bent down from the saddle, andgave Nicholas’s fist a huge wrench: ‘but wa’at be the matther wi’
thy feace,
tods outlet, mun? it be all brokken loike.’
‘It is a cut,’ said Nicholas, turning scarlet as he spoke, ‘a blow;but I returned it to the giver, and with good interest too.’
‘Noa, did ’ee though?’ exclaimed John Browdie. ‘Well deane! Iloike ’un for thot.’
‘The fact is,’ said Nicholas, not very well knowing how to makethe avowal, ‘the fact is, that I have been ill-treated.’
‘Noa!’ interposed John Browdie, in a tone of compassion; for hewas a giant in strength and stature,
tods mens shoes, and Nicholas, very likely, inhis eyes, seemed a mere dwarf; ‘dean’t say thot.’
‘Yes, I have,’ replied Nicholas, ‘by that man Squeers, and I havebeaten him soundly, and am leaving this place in consequence.’
‘What!’ cried John Browdie, with such an ecstatic shout, thatthe horse quite shied at it. ‘Beatten the schoolmeasther! Ho! ho!
ho! Beatten the schoolmeasther! who ever heard o’ the loike o’
that noo! Giv’ us thee hond agean, yoongster. Beatten theschoolmeasther! Dang it, I loov’ thee for’t.’