"How, sir?" said
I; "travel on Christmas Day?" "Was it so?" says he; "fags! that's
more than I knew; but why not travel on Christmas Day as well as any
other?" "Why not?" said I, lifting my voice, for I had lost all
patience; "was you not brought up in the Christian religion? Did you
never learn your catechism?" He then burst out into an unmannerly
laugh, and so provoked me, that I should certainly have smote him, had
I not laid my crabstick down in the window, and had not Mr Wilson been
fortunately placed between us. "Odso! Mr Parson," says he, "are you
there? I wonder I had not smoked you before." "Smoke me!" answered I,
and at the same time leaped from my chair, my wrath being highly
kindled. At which instant a jackanapes, who sat on my left hand,
whipped my peruke from my head, which I no sooner perceived than I
porrected him a remembrance over the face, which laid him sprawling on
the floor. I was afterwards concerned at the blow, though the
consequence was only a bloody nose, and the lad, who was a companion
of the other's, and had uttered many wicked things, which I
pretermitted in my narrative, very well deserved correction.
A bustle now arose, not worth recounting, which ended in my departure
with Mr Wilson, though we had purposed to tarry there that night.
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