The preacher and his wife persuade Lavengro to travel with them as far
as the boundary of Wales, where he stops, refusing to set foot on the
land of Cadwallader. According to his usual custom, he petrifies them
at parting by exhibiting his intimate knowledge of the Welsh language
and literature. Just as they are taking leave, Petulengro makes his
appearance, emerging from Wales, and Lavengro turns with him. Now, what
does the reader think the respectable Jasper had been doing? Neither
more nor less than assisting at the interment of Mrs Herne, who had
herself anticipated the last tender offices of the executioner! The
fraternal pair jog on for a while amicably, Petulengro beguiling the
way by a sprightly narrative of blackguardism, until they reach a
convenient piece of turf, when he expresses a strong desire to have
a turn-up with the rather reluctant Lavengro. As the Rommany code of
honour is but little understood, we may as well give Petulengro's
reasons for defying his brother to the combat:--
"There is a point at present between us. There can be no doubt
that you are the cause of Mrs Herne's death--innocently, you
will say; but still the cause. Now, I shouldn't like it to be
known that I went up and down the country with a pal who was
the cause of my mother-in-law's death--that's to say, unless he
gave me satisfaction. Now, if I and my pal have a tussle, he
gives me satisfaction; and if he knocks my eyes out--which I
know you can't do--it makes no difference at all; he gives me
satisfaction: and he who says to the contrary knows nothing of
gipsy law, and is a dinelo into the bargain."
So, there being no other mode of adjustment, a stand-up fight took
place, in which it would appear that Lavengro received the largest
share of pepper. Petulengro at last declared himself satisfied, and the
affiliated couple set forward as if nothing had happened to disturb the
harmony of the afternoon. When they separate, Lavengro takes his way
in a secluded dingle, five miles distant from the nearest village, and
there encamps, makes horse-shoes, and has a fit of the horrors. Just
as he is recovering from this attack, who should appear in the dingle
but the Flying Tinman, with Grey Moll, and the amazon whom Slingsby had
mentioned--"an exceedingly tall woman, or rather girl, for she could
scarcely have been above eighteen." The Tinman himself was no beauty.
"I do not remember ever to have seen a more ruffianly-looking
fellow. He was about six feet high, with an immensely athletic
frame; his face was black and bluff, and sported an immense
pair of whiskers, but with here and there a grey hair; for
his age could not be much under fifty. He wore a faded blue
frock-coat, corduroys, and high-lows; on his black head was
a kind of red nightcap, round his bull-neck a Barcelona
handkerchief. I did not like the look of the man at all."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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