'
'Ah, but who's to watch you, Dowlas, and see you do it? That's no
fair bet,' said the butcher.
'No fair bet?' replied Mr Dowlas, angrily. 'I should like to hear
any man stand up and say I want to be unfair. Come now, Master
Lundy, I should like to hear you say it.'
'Very like you would,' said the butcher. 'But it's no business o'
mine. You're none o' my bargains, and I aren't a-going to try and
'bate your price. If anybody'll bid for you at your own vallying,
let him. I'm for peace and quietness, I am.'
'Yes, that's what every yapping cur is, when you hold a stick up at
him,' said the farrier. 'But I'm afraid o' neither man nor ghost,
and I'm ready to lay a fair bet- I aren't a turn-tail cur.'
'Aye, but there's this in it, Dowlas,' said the landlord,
speaking in a tone of much candour and tolerance. 'There's folks, i'
my opinion, they can't see ghos'es, not if they stood as plain as a
pike-staff before 'em. And there's reason i' that. For there's my
wife, now, can't smell, not if she'd the strongest of cheese under her
nose. I never see'd a ghost myself, but then I says to myself, "Very
like I haven't got the smell for 'em." I mean, putting a ghost for a
smell, or else contrairi-ways. And so, I'm for holding with both
sides; for, as I say, the truth lies between 'em. And if Dowlas was to
go and stand, and say he'd never seen a wink o' Cliff's Holiday all
the night through, I'd back him; and if anybody said as Cliff's
Holiday was certain sure, for all that, I'd back him too.
Pages:
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87