Wise Saws and Modern Instances, Volume 1 (of 2)Cooper, Thomas
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Wise Saws and Modern Instances, Volume 1 (of 2)
Cooper, Thomas
English fiction -- 19th century; Short stories, English
"Pshaw, man!—the gentleman has suddenly found his sister who was
stolen when she was young," said the farmer: "the gentleman has
explained it all himself, and has taken the young woman into the
Pelham's Arms, where he puts up. I thought thou hadst had more sense,
Kucky, than to run after any crowd that gathered in the street."
"Crowd!" echoed the barber, "was there a crowd then?
"A crowd!" repeated the farmer, "that was there, I assure thee. There:
good-bye, Kucky!" and so saying he loosed hold of his neighbour, who
was now in some degree cooled down.
Kucky Sarson did not set off to run again; but walked musingly on
towards the Pelham's Arms Inn, resolved, if possible, to get at the
bottom of the curious incidents just related. He was shown into the
strange gentleman's room at once, when he had intimated that it would
be inconvenient for him to call at six in the evening. And now the
barber felt completely embarrassed, and quite ashamed of his own
curiosity, in having forced himself upon the stranger so suddenly after
the affecting occurrence he had just been informed of by old farmer
Garbutt. In fact, Kucky had begun to stammer forth very odd apologies,
and was backing out of the room with a profusion of bows and scrapes,
when the gentleman rose, and leading his newly-recovered relative by
the hand, introduced her to his humble visitor. Kucky Sarson recognised
her face for the same he had seen in the narrow street a short time
before; but the altered dress and demeanour of the female caused him to
take her hand with much greater reverence than he would have shown had
that hand been offered him when he first saw its owner.
"I saw you a short time ago, when my brother had just discovered me,"
observed the female, as the barber took her hand.
"You did, madam," replied he, stammering with confusion, and surprised
at the peculiar grace wherewith, he now thought, the gypsy conducted
herself.
"No doubt you felt greatly surprised when you saw us," observed the
gentleman.
"I must say I did," answered the barber, still looking very bashful.
"Did you witness any of my capers in the street, my friend? I am
fearful that I have played a somewhat foolish part, for my elation
well nigh drove me out of my senses. Come, my good friend," concluded
the gentleman, noting the shy look of the barber, "let us sit down,
and, over a comfortable glass of wine, talk over this matter;—not
forgetting your family adage of 'Right is every man's, but Wrong is no
man's right.'"
They were seated accordingly; and the barber, having been plied
with a couple of glasses of claret, and his shame-facedness having
vanished, the gentleman renewed the conversation, with a look of great
good-humour.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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