If Joseph Willet, the denounced and proscribed of "prentices, had happened to be at home when his father"s courtly guest presented himself before the Maypole door--that is, if it had not perversely chanced to be one of the half-dozen days in the whole year on which he was at liberty to absent himself for as many hours without question or reproach--he would have contrived, by hook or crook, to dive to the very bottom of Mr Chester"s mystery, and to come at his purpose with as much certainty as though he had been his confidential adviser. In that fortunate case, the lovers would have had quick warning of the ills that threatened them, and the aid of various timely and wise suggestions to boot; for all Joe"s readiness of thought and action, and all his sympathies and good wishes, were enlisted in favour of the young people, and were staunch in devotion to their cause. Whether this disposition arose out of his old prepossessions in favour of the young lady, whose history had surrounded her in his mind, almost from his cradle, with circumstances of unusual interest; or from his attachment towards the young gentleman, into whose confidence he had, through his shrewdness and alacrity, and the rendering of sundry important services as a spy and messenger, almost imperceptibly glided; whether they had their origin in either of these sources, or in the habit natural to youth, or in the constant badgering and worrying of his venerable parent, or in any hidden little love affair of his own which gave him something of a fellow-feeling in the matter, it is needless to inquire--especially as Joe was out of the way, and had no opportunity on that particular occasion of testifying to his sentiments either on one side or the other.
It was, in fact, the twenty-fifth of March, which, as most people know to their cost, is, and has been time out of mind, one of those unpleasant epochs termed quarter-days. On this twenty-fifth of March, it was John Willet"s pride annually to settle, in hard cash, his account with a certain vintner and distiller in the city of London; to give into whose hands a canvas bag containing its exact amount, and not a penny more or less, was the end and object of a journey for Joe, so surely as the year and day came round.
This journey was performed upon an old grey mare, concerning whom John had an indistinct set of ideas hovering about him, to the effect that she could win a plate or cup if she tried. She never had tried, and probably never would now, being some fourteen or fifteen years of age, short in wind, long in body, and rather theworse for wear in respect of her mane and tail. Notwithstandingthese slight defects, John perfectly gloried in the animal; andwhen she was brought round to the door by Hugh, actually retiredinto the bar, and there, in a secret grove of lemons, laughed withpride.
"There"s a bit of horseflesh, Hugh!" said John, when he hadrecovered enough self-command to appear at the door again.
"There"s a comely creature! There"s high mettle! There"s bone!"
There was bone enough beyond all doubt; and so Hugh seemed tothink, as he sat sideways in the saddle, lazily doubled up with hischin nearly touching his knees; and heedless of the danglingstirrups and loose bridle-rein, sauntered up and down on the littlegreen before the door.
"Mind you take good care of her, sir," said John, appealing fromthis insensible person to his son and heir, who now appeared, fullyequipped and ready. "Don"t you ride hard."
"I should be puzzled to do that, I think, father," Joe replied,casting a disconsolate look at the animal.
"None of your impudence, sir, if you please," retorted old John.
"What would you ride, sir? A wild ass or zebra would be too tamefor you, wouldn"t he, eh sir? You"d like to ride a roaring lion,wouldn"t you, sir, eh sir? Hold your tongue, sir." When MrWillet, in his differences with his son, had exhausted all thequestions that occurred to him, and Joe had said nothing at all inanswer, he generally wound up by bidding him hold his tongue.
"And what does the boy mean," added Mr Willet, after he had staredat him for a little time, in a species of stupefaction, "by cockinghis hat, to such an extent! Are you going to kill the wintner, sir?"
"No," said Joe, tartly; "I"m not. Now your mind"s at ease,father."
"With a milintary air, too!" said Mr Willet, surveying him from topto toe; "with a swaggering, fire-eating, biling-water drinkingsort of way with him! And what do you mean by pulling up thecrocuses and snowdrops, eh sir?"
"It"s only a little nosegay," said Joe, reddening. "There"s noharm in that, I hope?"
"You"re a boy of business, you are, sir!" said Mr Willet,disdainfully, "to go supposing that wintners care for nosegays."
"I don"t suppose anything of the kind," returned Joe. "Let themkeep their red noses for bottles and tankards. These are going toMr Varden"s house."
"And do you suppose HE minds such things as crocuses?" demandedJohn.
"I don"t know, and to say the truth, I don"t care," said Joe.
"Come, father, give me the money, and in the name of patience letme go."
"There it is, sir," replied John; "and take care of it; and mindyou don"t make too much haste back, but give the mare a long rest.-Doyou mind?"
"Ay, I mind," returned Joe. "She"ll need it, Heaven knows."
"And don"t you score up too much at the Black Lion," said John.
"Mind that too."
"Then why don"t you let me have some money of my own?" retortedJoe, sorrowfully; "why don"t you, father? What do you send me intoLondon for, giving me only the right to call for my dinner at theBlack Lion, which you"re to pay for next time you go, as if I wasnot to be trusted with a few shillings? Why do you use me likethis? It"s not right of you. You can"t expect me to be quietunder it."
"Let him have money!" cried John, in a drowsy reverie. "What doeshe call money--guineas? Hasn"t he got money? Over and above thetolls, hasn"t he one and sixpence?"
"One and sixpence!" repeated his son contemptuously.
"Yes, sir," returned John, "one and sixpence. When I was your age,I had never seen so much money, in a heap. A shilling of it is incase of accidents--the mare casting a shoe, or the like of that.
The other sixpence is to spend in the diversions of London; and thediversion I recommend is going to the top of the Monument, andsitting there. There"s no temptation there, sir--no drink--noyoung women--no bad characters of any sort--nothing but imagination.