The Romany Rye: a sequel to "Lavengro"Borrow, George
General
The Romany Rye: a sequel to "Lavengro"
Borrow, George
Adventure stories; England -- Fiction; Romanies -- Fiction
coward, or a screw either, except so far as one who gets his bread by
horses may be expected to be; and they can't say of me that I ever ate up
an ice which a young woman was waiting for, or that I ever backed out of
a fight. Horse!" said he, motioning with his finger tauntingly to the
other; "what do you want with a horse, except to take the bread out of
the mouth of a poor man--to-morrow is not the battle of Waterloo, so that
you don't want to back out of danger, by pretending to have hurt yourself
by falling from the creature's back, my lord of the white feather--come,
none of your fierce looks--I am not afraid of you." In fact, the other
had assumed an expression of the deadliest malice, his teeth were
clenched, his lips quivered, and were quite pale; the rat-like eyes
sparkled, and he made a half spring, _a la_ rat, towards his adversary,
who only laughed. Restraining himself, however, he suddenly turned to
his understrapper, saying, "Symmonds, will you see me thus insulted? go
and trounce this scoundrel; you can, I know." "Symmonds trounce me!"
said the other, going up to the person addressed, and drawing his hand
contemptuously over his face; "why, I beat Symmonds in this very yard in
one round three years ago; didn't I, Symmonds?" said he to the
understrapper, who held down his head, muttering in a surly tone, "I
didn't come here to fight; let every one take his own part." "That's
right, Symmonds," said the other, "especially every one from whom there
is nothing to be got. I would give you half-a-crown for all the trouble
you have had, provided I were not afraid that my Lord Plume there would
get it from you as soon as you leave the yard together. Come, take
yourselves both off; there's nothing to be made here." Indeed, his
lordship seemed to be of the same opinion, for after a further glance at
the horse, a contemptuous look at me, and a scowl at the jockey, he
turned on his heel, muttering something which sounded like fellows, and
stalked out of the yard, followed by Symmonds.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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