Part 42 (1/2)

And the end of this conversation was, that the fair special-pleader gained her cause, and that Mr Verdant Green consented to return to Oxford, and not to dreae until two years had passed over his head

The next night he slept at the Manor Green, Warwickshi+re

CHAPTER X

MR VERDANT GREEN IS MADE A MASON

<vg288jpg> MR VERDANT GREEN and Mr Bouncer were oncehad turned into the coffee-room of ”The Mitre” to ”do bitters,” as Mr Bouncer phrased the act of drinking bitter beer, when said the little gentlelamps, old feller! you ain't a mason”

”A mason! of course not”

”And why do you say 'of course not'?”

”Why, ould be the use of it?”

”That's what parties always say, my tulip Be a mason, and then you'll soon see the use of it”

”But I alamps! you'll be the death of me some fine day I didn't mean a mason with a hod of mortar; he'd be a hod-fellow, don't you see? - there's a fine old crusted joke for you - I meant a mason with a petticut, a freemason”

”Oh, a free one As far as I can see, there's a great deal of mystery and very little use in it”

”Oh, that's because you know nothing about it If you were a o abroad you'd find it no end of a help to you If you'll stand another tankard of beer I'll tell you an ~apropos~ tale”

So when a fresh supply of the bitter beverage had been

[AN OXFORD FRESHMAN 289]

ordered and brought, little Mr Bouncer, perched upon the table, and dangling his legs, discoursed as follows:-

”Last Long, Billy Blades went on to the continent, and in the course of his wanderings he cah they weren't dressed in tall hats and ribbons, and scarves, and watches, and velvet sit-upons, like you see theh customers for all that, and they laid hands upon Master Billy, and politely asked hi>

Billy wasn't inclined to give the but his knapsack and a stick, for it was a frequented road, and he had no idea that there were such things as banditti in existence Well, as you're aware, Giglamps, Billy's a modern Hercules, with an unusual developave them a touch of Hammer Lane and the Putney Pet coentleet hi knocked about s, he was forced to yield to superior nued and blindfolded him, formed him into a procession, and ain let hiue, he found himself in a rude hut, with his banditti friends around hi knives, hich theydemonstrations They had cut open his knapsack and tumbled out its contents, but not a ~sou~ could they find; for Billy, I should

[290 ADVENTURES OF MR VERDANT GREEN]

have told you, had left the place where he was staying, for a few days' walking tour, and he had only taken what little money he required; of this he had one or two pieces left, which he gave thenified to hilao - that he must fork out with his tin unless he wished to be forked into with their steel Pleasant position, wasn't it?”

”Extremely”

”Well, they searched hi more out of him, they made him understand that he must write to some one for a ransom, and that he wouldn't be released until the ain, wasn't it?”

”Excessively But what has all this to do with freeirl who peeps at the end of a novel before she begins to read it Drink your beer, and let me tell my tale in my oay Well, noe come to volume the third, chapter the last Master Billy found that there was nothing for it but to obey orders, so he sent off a note to his banker, stating his requirements As soon as this business was transacted, the amiable bandits turned to pleasure, and produced a bottle of wine, of which they politely asked Billy to partake He thought at first that it , for it was most villainous stuff However, the other fellows took to it kindly, and got more amiable than ever over it; so much so that they offered Billy one of his oeeds, and they all got very jolly, and were as thick as thieves Billy ar that can always adapt himself to circumstances - that at last the chief bandit proposed his health, and then they all shook hands with him Well, now comes the moral ofBilly's Health in this flipper-shaking way, it all at once occurred to Billy to give hiave it, and, lo and behold! the bandit returned it Both Billy and the bandit opened their eyes pretty considerably at this The bandit also opened his ar and short of it was that he begged Billy's pardon for the trouble and delay they had caused him, returned him his money and knapsack, and all the weeds that were not sh road, guaranteeing hie if he should coain And all this because Billy was a lamps, what use it is to a feller But,” said Mr Bouncer, as he ended his tale, ”talking's mon-