He raised his stick and fell to beating the picture of Mehetabel with it; till it was rent to rags. "Not even her picture shall you have--and I would it were her I were slashin' and breakin' to pieces as I've done to this picture. It may come to that in the end--but out of my power and into your hands she shall never go." CHAPTER XXXV. THE ONLY CHANGE Jonas Kink, after much objurgation and persuasion, had induced old Clutch to leave his stable at Guildford, and return home by way of Godalming. But the horse was unfamiliar with the road. He had been ridden along it in reverse direction in the morning, but, as every one knows, a way wears quite a different aspect under such circumstances. Old Clutch was mistrustful. Having been taken such an unprecedentedly long journey, he was without confidence that his master might not prolong the expedition to a still further distance. Accordingly he was exceedingly troublesome and unmanageable on the road from Guildford, and his behavior served to work the temper of Jonas to the extremity of irritability. The horse, on approaching Godalming, began to limp. Bideabout descended, and examined each hoof. He could see no stone there, nothing to account for the lameness of old Clutch, which, however, became so pronounced as he entered the street of the little town that he was obliged to stable the beast, and rest it. Then he went direct to the offices of a small attorney of the name of Barelegs, who had been engaged on his business. As he entered the office, Mr. Barelegs looked up from a deed he was reading, turned his head, and contemplated his client. There was something in his manner that angered Jonas, already excited and inclined to be annoyed at trifles, and he said irritably,-- "You look at me. Mister Barelegs, just as does old Clutch when I come into the stable, expectin' a feed of corn, he does." "And no doubt he deserves it." "He thinks he does, but he don't." "And no doubt he gets his feed." "There is doubt about it. He gets it when I choose to give it, not when he glowers at me--that way, he's wonderful artificial is old Clutch." "I dare be sworn, Mr. Kink, if he has served you well, he expects to be paid for it." "He's an owdacious old Radical," observed Jonas. "Just now he's shamming lame, becos I rode him into Guildford, and he likes the inn here. There's an old broken-winded, galled gray mare, I reckon he's set his fancy on in the same yard, and I'm pretty sure this lameness means nothin' more nor less than that he wants to be a-courtin'. To see them two hosses, when they meet, rubbin' heads, is enough to make a fellow sick. And Clutch, at his age too--when he ort to be thinkin' of his latter end!" "We've all our little weaknesses, Mr. Kink, man and beast alike. You courted--not so long ago." "I never courted in the ridic'lous fashion of other folks. I'd none of your yardin', and aiblen' to aiblen', and waistin'." "What do you mean, Mr. Kink?"