"Who wants to get away!" cried John, shaking him. "Why you do,sir, you do. You"re the boy, sir," added John, collaring with oneband, and aiding the effect of a farewell bow to the visitor withthe other, "that wants to sneak into houses, and stir updifferences between noble gentlemen and their sons, are you, eh?
Hold your tongue, sir."
Joe made no effort to reply. It was the crowning circumstance ofhis degradation. He extricated himself from his father"s grasp,darted an angry look at the departing guest, and returned into thehouse.
"But for her," thought Joe, as he threw his arms upon a table inthe common room, and laid his head upon them, "but for Dolly, who Icouldn"t bear should think me the rascal they would make me out tobe if I ran away, this house and I should part to-night."
It being evening by this time, Solomon Daisy, Tom Cobb, and Long Parkes, were all in the common room too, and had from the windowbeen witnesses of what had just occurred. Mr Willet joining themsoon afterwards, received the compliments of the company with greatcomposure, and lighting his pipe, sat down among them.
"We"ll see, gentlemen," said John, after a long pause, "who"s themaster of this house, and who isn"t. We"ll see whether boys are togovern men, or men are to govern boys."
"And quite right too," assented Solomon Daisy with some approvingnods; "quite right, Johnny. Very good, Johnny. Well said, MrWillet. Brayvo, sir."
John slowly brought his eyes to bear upon him, looked at him for along time, and finally made answer, to the unspeakableconsternation of his hearers, "When I want encouragement from you,sir, I"ll ask you for it. You let me alone, sir. I can get onwithout you, I hope. Don"t you tackle me, sir, if you please."
"Don"t take it ill, Johnny; I didn"t mean any harm," pleaded thelittle man.
"Very good, sir," said John, more than usually obstinate after his late success. "Never mind, sir. I can stand pretty firm ofmyself, sir, I believe, without being shored up by you." Andhaving given utterance to this retort, Mr Willet fixed his eyesupon the boiler, and fell into a kind of tobacco-trance.
The spirits of the company being somewhat damped by thisembarrassing line of conduct on the part of their host, nothingmore was said for a long time; but at length Mr Cobb took uponhimself to remark, as he rose to knock the ashes out of his pipe,that he hoped Joe would thenceforth learn to obey his father in allthings; that he had found, that day, he was not one of the sort ofmen who were to be trifled with; and that he would recommend him,poetically speaking, to mind his eye for the future.
"I"d recommend you, in return," said Joe, looking up with a flushedface, "not to talk to me."
"Hold your tongue, sir," cried Mr Willet, suddenly rousing himself,and turning round.
"I won"t, father," cried Joe, smiting the table with his fist, sothat the jugs and glasses rung again; "these things are hard enoughto bear from you; from anybody else I never will endure them any more. Therefore I say, Mr Cobb, don"t talk to me."
"Why, who are you," said Mr Cobb, sneeringly, "that you"re not tobe talked to, eh, Joe?"
To which Joe returned no answer, but with a very ominous shake ofthe head, resumed his old position, which he would have peacefullypreserved until the house shut up at night, but that Mr Cobb,stimulated by the wonder of the company at the young man"spresumption, retorted with sundry taunts, which proved too much forflesh and blood to bear. Crowding into one moment the vexation andthe wrath of years, Joe started up, overturned the table, fell uponhis long enemy, pummelled him with all his might and main, andfinished by driving him with surprising swiftness against a heap ofspittoons in one corner; plunging into which, head foremost, with atremendous crash, he lay at full length among the ruins, stunnedand motionless. Then, without waiting to receive the complimentsof the bystanders on the victory be had won, he retreated to hisown bedchamber, and considering himself in a state of siege, piledall the portable furniture against the door by way of barricade.
"I have done it now," said Joe, as he sat down upon his bedsteadand wiped his heated face. "I knew it would come at last. The Maypole and I must part company. I"m a roving vagabond--she hatesme for evermore--it"s all over!"
