CHAPTER XXIX
DELIBERATIONS WITH SELF--RESOLUTION--INVITATION TO DINNER--THE COMMERCIALTRAVELLER--THE LANDLORD'S OFFER--THE COMET WINE
It was now that I had frequent deliberations with myself. Should Icontinue at the inn in my present position? I was not very muchcaptivated with it; there was little poetry in keeping an account of thecorn, hay, and straw which came in, and was given out, and I was fond ofpoetry; moreover, there was no glory at all to be expected in doing so,and I was fond of glory. Should I give up that situation, and remainingat the inn, become ostler under old Bill? There was more poetry inrubbing down horses than in keeping an account of straw, hay, and corn;there was also some prospect of glory attached to the situation ofostler, for the grooms and stable-boys occasionally talked of an ostler,a great way down the road, who had been presented by some sportingpeople, not with a silver vase, as our governor had been, but with asilver currycomb, in testimony of their admiration for his skill; but Iconfess that the poetry of rubbing down had become, as all other poetrybecomes, rather prosy by frequent repetition, and with respect to thechance of deriving glory from the employment, I entertained in the eventof my determining to stay, very slight hope of ever attaining skill inthe ostler art sufficient to induce sporting people to bestow upon me asilver currycomb. I was not half so good an ostler as old Bill, who hadnever been presented with a silver currycomb, and I never expected tobecome so, therefore what chance had I? It was true, there was aprospect of some pecuniary emolument to be derived by remaining in eithersituation. It was very probable that, provided I continued to keep anaccount of the hay and corn coming in and expended, the landlord wouldconsent to allow me a pound a week, which at the end of a dozen years,provided I kept myself sober, would amount to a considerable sum. Imight, on the retirement of old Bill, by taking his place, save up adecent sum of money, provided, unlike him, I kept myself sober, and laidby all the shillings and sixpences I got; but the prospect of laying up adecent sum of money was not of sufficient importance to induce me tocontinue either at my wooden desk, or in the inn-yard. The reader willremember what difficulty I had to make up my mind to become a merchantunder the Armenian's auspices, even with the prospect of making two orthree hundred thousand pounds by following the Armenian way of doingbusiness, so it was not probable that I should feel disposed to bebook-keeper or ostler all my life with no other prospect than being ableto make a tidy sum of money. If, indeed, besides the prospect of makinga tidy-sum at the end of perhaps forty years ostlering, I had beencertain of being presented with a silver currycomb with my name engravedupon it, which I might have left to my descendants, or, in defaultthereof, to the parish church destined to contain my bones, withdirections that it might be soldered into the wall above the arch leadingfrom the body of the church into the chancel--I will not say that withsuch a certainty of immortality, combined with such a prospect ofmoderate pecuniary advantage, I might not have thought it worth my whileto stay, but I entertained no such certainty, and taking everything intoconsideration, I determined to mount my horse and leave the inn.
This horse had caused me for some time past no little perplexity; I hadfrequently repented of having purchased him, more especially as thepurchase had been made with another person's money, and had more thanonce shown him to people who, I imagined, were likely to purchase him;but, though they were profuse in his praise, as people generally are inthe praise of what they don't intend to purchase, they never made me anoffer, and now that I had determined to mount on his back and ride away,what was I to do with him in the sequel? I could not maintain him long.Suddenly I bethought me of Horncastle, which Francis Ardry had mentionedas a place where the horse was likely to find a purchaser, and not havingdetermined upon any particular place to which to repair, I thought that Icould do no better than betake myself to Horncastle in the firstinstance, and there endeavour to dispose of my horse.
On making inquiries with respect to the situation of Horncastle, and thetime when the fair would be held, I learned that the town was situated inLincolnshire, about a hundred and fifty miles from the inn at which I wasat present sojourning, and that the fair would be held nominally withinabout a month, but that it was always requisite to be on the spot somedays before the nominal day of the fair, as all the best horses weregenerally sold before that time, and the people who came to purchase goneaway with what they had bought.
The people of the inn were very sorry on being informed of mydetermination to depart. Old Bill told me that he had hoped as how I hadintended to settle down there, and to take his place as ostler when hewas fit for no more work, adding, that though I did not know much of thebusiness, yet he had no doubt but that I might improve. My friend thepostillion was particularly sorry, and taking me with him to the tap-roomcalled for two pints of beer, to one of which he treated me; and whilstwe were drinking told me how particularly sorry he was at the thought ofmy going, but that he hoped I should think better of the matter. On mytelling him that I must go, he said that he trusted I should put off mydeparture for three weeks, in order that I might be present at hismarriage, the banns of which were just about to be published. He saidthat nothing would give him greater pleasure than to see me dance aminuet with his wife after the marriage dinner; but I told him it wasimpossible that I should stay, my affairs imperatively calling meelsewhere; and that with respect to my dancing a minuet, such a thing wasout of the question, as I had never learned to dance. At which he saidthat he was exceedingly sorry, and finding me determined to go, wished mesuccess in all my undertakings.
The master of the house, to whom, as in duty bound, I communicated myintention before I spoke of it to the servants, was, I make no doubt,very sorry, though he did not exactly tell me so. What he said was, thathe had never expected that I should remain long there, as such asituation never appeared to him quite suitable to me, though I had beenvery diligent, and had given him perfect satisfaction. On his inquiringwhen I intended to depart, I informed him next day, whereupon he beggedthat I would defer my departure till the next day but one, and do him thefavour of dining with him on the morrow. I informed him that I should beonly too happy.
On the following day at four o'clock I dined with the landlord, incompany with a commercial traveller. The dinner was good, though plain,consisting of boiled mackerel--rather a rarity in those parts at thattime--with fennel sauce, a prime baron of roast beef after the mackerel,then a tart and noble Cheshire cheese; we had prime sherry at dinner, andwhilst eating the cheese prime porter, that of Barclay, the only goodporter in the world. After the cloth was removed we had a bottle of verygood port; and whilst partaking of the port I had an argument with thecommercial traveller on the subject of the corn-laws.
The commercial traveller, having worsted me in the argument on thesubject of the corn-laws, got up in great glee, saying that he must orderhis gig, as business must be attended to. Before leaving the room,however, he shook me patronizingly by the hand, and said something to themaster of the house, but in so low a tone that it escaped my ear.
No sooner had he departed than the master of the house told me that hisfriend the traveller had just said that I was a confounded sensible youngfellow, and not at all opinionated, a sentiment in which he himselfperfectly agreed--then hemming once or twice, he said that as I was goingon a journey he hoped I was tolerably well provided with money, addingthat travelling was rather expensive, especially on horseback, the mannerin which he supposed, as I had a horse in the stable, I intended totravel. I told him that though I was not particularly well supplied withmoney, I had sufficient for the expenses of my journey, at the end ofwhich I hoped to procure more. He then hemmed again, and said that sinceI had been at the inn I had rendered him a great deal of service in moreways than one, and that he could not think of permitting me to departwithout making me some remuneration; then putting his hand into hiswaistcoat pocket he handed me a cheque for ten pounds, which he hadprepared beforehand, the value of which he said I could receive at thenext town, or that, if
I wished it, any waiter in the house would cash itfor me. I thanked him for his generosity in the best terms I couldselect, but, handing him back his cheque, I told him that I could notaccept it, saying that, so far from his being my debtor, I believedmyself to be indebted to him, as not only myself but my horse had beenliving at his house for several weeks. He replied that, as for my boardat a house like his, it amounted to nothing, and as for the little cornand hay which the horse had consumed it was of no consequence, and thathe must insist upon my taking the cheque. But I again declined, tellinghim that doing so would be a violation of a rule which I had determinedto follow, and which nothing but the greatest necessity would ever compelme to break through--never to incur obligations. 'But,' said he,'receiving this money will not be incurring an obligation: it is yourdue.' 'I do not think so,' said I; 'I did not engage to serve you formoney, nor will I take any from you.' 'Perhaps you will take it as aloan?' said he. 'No,' I replied, 'I never borrow.' 'Well,' said thelandlord, smiling, 'you are different from all others that I amacquainted with. I never yet knew any one else who scrupled to borrowand receive obligations. Why, there are two baronets in thisneighbourhood who have borrowed money of me, ay, and who have neverrepaid what they borrowed; and there are a dozen squires who are underconsiderable obligations to me, who I dare say will never return them.Come, you need not be more scrupulous than your superiors--I mean instation.' 'Every vessel must stand on its own bottom,' said I; 'theytake pleasure in receiving obligations, I take pleasure in beingindependent. Perhaps they are wise, and I am a fool, I know not, but onething I am certain of, which is, that were I not independent I should bevery unhappy: I should have no visions then.' 'Have you any relations?'said the landlord, looking at me compassionately. 'Excuse me, but Idon't think you are exactly fit to take care of yourself.' 'There youare mistaken,' said I, 'I can take precious good care of myself; ay, andcan drive a precious hard bargain when I have occasion, but drivingbargains is a widely different thing from receiving gifts. I am going totake my horse to Horncastle, and when there I shall endeavour to obtainhis full value--ay, to the last penny.'
'Horncastle!' said the landlord, 'I have heard of that place; you mustn'tbe dreaming visions when you get there, or they'll steal the horse fromunder you. Well,' said he, rising, 'I shall not press you farther on thesubject of the cheque. I intend, however, to put you under an obligationto me.' He then rang the bell, and having ordered two fresh glasses tobe brought, he went out and presently returned with a small pint bottle,which he uncorked with his own hand; then sitting down, he said: 'Thewine that I bring here, is port of eighteen hundred and eleven, the yearof the comet, the best vintage on record; the wine which we have beendrinking,' he added, 'is good, but not to be compared with this, which Inever sell, and which I am chary of. When you have drank some of it, Ithink you will own that I have conferred an obligation upon you;' he thenfilled the glasses, the wine which he poured out diffusing an aromathrough the room; then motioning me to drink, he raised his own glass tohis lips, saying: 'Come, friend, I drink to your success at Horncastle.'