"Why, so I heard," replied the landlord, "but we never see him here now. I remember him a very pretty young man. Every one was fond of him, and proud of him. But what pranks he did play when he was a lad! We hoped he would come in for our boro' some of these days, but he has taken to foren parts--more's the pity. I am a reg'lar Blue, sir, as I ought to be. The Blue candidate always does me the honour to come to the Lansmere Arms. 'Tis only the low party puts up with The Boar," added the landlord with a look of ineffable disgust. "I hope you like the wine, sir?" "Very good, and seems old." "Bottled these eighteen years, sir. I had in the cask for the great election of Dashmore and Egerton. I have little left of it, and I never give it but to old friends like--for, I think, sir, though you be grown stout, and look more grand, I may say that I've had the pleasure of seeing you before. "That's true, I daresay, though I fear was never a very good customer." LANDLORD.--"Ah, it _is_ Mr Dale, then! I thought so when you came into the hall. I hope your lady is quite well, and the Squire too; fine pleasant-spoken gentleman; no fault of his if Mr Egerton went wrong. Well, we have never seen him--I mean Mr Egerton--since that time. I don't wonder he stays away; but my lord's son, who was brought up here,--it an't nat'ral like that he should turn his back on us!" Mr Dale made no reply, and the landlord was about to retire, when the Parson, pouring out another glass of the port, said,--"There must be great changes in the parish. Is Mr Morgan, the medical man, still here?" "No, indeed; he took out his ploma after you left, and became a real doctor; and a pretty practice he had too, when he took, all of a sudden, to some new-fangled way of physicking--I think they calls it homy-something--" "Homeopathy!" "That's it--something against all reason: and so he lost his practice here and went up to Lunnun. I've not heard of him since." "Do the Avenels keep their old house?" "Oh yes!--and are pretty well off, I hear say. John is always poorly; though he still goes now and then to the Odd Fellows, and takes his glass; but his wife comes and fetches him away before he can do himself any harm." "Mrs Avenel is the same as ever?" "She holds her head higher, I think," said the landlord, smiling. "She was always--not exactly proud like, but what I calls gumptious." "I never heard that word before," said the Parson, laying down his knife and fork. "Bumptious, indeed, though I believe it is not in the dictionary, has crept into familiar parlance, especially amongst young folks at school and college." "Bumptious is bumptious, and gumptious is gumptious," said the landlord, delighted to puzzle a Parson. "Now the town beadle is bumptious, and Mrs Avenel is gumptious." "She is a very respectable woman," said Mr Dale, somewhat rebukingly. "In course, sir, all gumptious folks are; they value themselves on their respectability, and looks down on their neighbours."