'A miracle,' everyone called out, for scarce a man of them could have
known him.
He tossed his hand in the air; '_Allons, en avant!_' he cried, with a
laugh; and Wogan, with Ker of Graden, did what all might have better
done at Derby--followed their leader.
The night was wintry, and a cold north wind blew about the rare
flickering oil lamps in the street. All three men buttoned themselves
up in their cloaks. The Prince, still stooping and limping, took an
arm of each of his aides-de-camp; indeed, he somewhat needed their
support.
'I am like that Sultan in Monsieur Galland's Eastern tales,' he said,
'visiting my subjects incognito. Nick, you are Mesrour, the Chief of
the--no, you're Giaffar. Graden is--I forget the Eastern minister's
name. I am the Caliph. But what are the rabble about?'
The three pilgrims had entered the lane that led to the warehouse of
the devout grocer. There was a mob around the door waving torches and
shouting insults at a few decent tradesmen and their wives who were
bent on the same pious errand as Wogan and his friends.
'Away, swaddlers!' 'Down with the Methodists!' they cried; and a burly
fellow brushed against Wogan's shoulder in the least gentlemanly
style. He reeled off and fell flat in the lane, while the other
ragamuffins laughed at him.
The three devotees stepped briskly through the grinning crowd that
cried to Graden, 'Come to buy brimstone, Scotch Sandy?'
'Come to escape it, my dear friend,' quoth Wogan's host, the cobbler,
who stood at the door, and kept it, too, against the mob with a great
show of spirit.
'You _have_ thought of us, sir?' asked the cobbler.
'Ay, and brought two other inquiring spirits,' said Wogan.
They were conducted into a long half-empty warehouse, smelling of
cheese and festooned with cobwebs. A light or two burned dimly in horn
lanterns; a low platform of new planks had been set up at the top of
the room; a table with seven candles made an illumination there; a big
black Bible, and a jug of water with a glass flanked the Bible. The
preacher sat on a chair (most of the congregation stood, or reposed on
barrels and benches), and on another chair, beside the preacher, was a
lady, veiled, her fine figure obscured by widow's weeds.
'Is that your beauty?' whispered the Prince.
'The Elect Lady, sir,' murmured the cobbler devoutly.
'_Mon Dieu!_ she has a very pretty foot!'
And Wogan, too, noticed the blaze of a diamond buckle that nearly
covered the little arched instep. Tap, tap! went the Elect Lady's
foot, thrust out in front of her heavy petticoat of crape.
'The lady is travelling everywhere, for the good of souls, gentlemen,
with Mr. Wesley's friend and choice disciple, the preacher, Mr.
Bunton.'
'L'heureux Monsieur Bunton! Quelle chance!' quoth his Highness.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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