"'And what has brought you here, Mr. Morning Tatler?' asked
my interlocutor, rather roughly. My answer was frank--that the
disappearance of a noble lady from the house of her friends had caused
the greatest excitement in the metropolis, and that my employers were
anxious to give the public every particular regarding an event so
singular.
"'And do you mean to say, sir, that you have dogged me all the way from
London, and that my family affairs are to be published for the readers
of the Morning Tatler newspaper? The Morning Tatter be ----(the Captain
here gave utterance to an oath which I shall not repeat) and you too,
sir; you unpudent meddling scoundrel.'
"'Scoundrel, sir!' said I. 'Yes,' replied the irate gentleman, seizing
me rudely by the collar--and he would have choked me, but that my blue
satin stock and false collar gave way, and were left in the hands of
this GENTLEMAN. 'Help, landlord!' I loudly exclaimed, adding, I believe,
'murder,' and other exclamations of alarm. In vain I appealed to
the crowd, which by this time was pretty considerable; they and the
unfeeling post-boys only burst into laughter, and called out, 'Give it
him, Captain.' A struggle ensued, in which I have no doubt I should have
had the better, but that the Captain, joining suddenly in the general
and indecent hilarity, which was doubled when I fell down, stopped and
said, 'Well, Jims, I won't fight on my marriage-day.
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