Part 28 (1/2)

'Lord love you,' said the landlord, 'it's only Mr Crummles; HE isn't particular'

'Is he not?' asked Nicholas, on whosewassome impression

'Not he,' replied the landlord 'He'll like your way of talking, I know But we'll soon see all about that Just wait a minute'

The landlord hurried into the parlour, without staying for further permission, nor did Nicholas strive to prevent hi that supper, under the circumstances, was too serious abefore the host returned, in a condition of ht,' he said in a low voice 'I kneould You'll see sooing of it!'

There was no time to inquire to what this exclamation, which was delivered in a very rapturous tone, referred; for he had already thrown open the door of the room; into which Nicholas, followed by Smike with the bundle on his shoulder (he carried it about with hihtway repaired

Nicholas was prepared for soht he encountered At the upper end of the room, were a couple of boys, one of them very tall and the other very short, both dressed as sailors-or at least as theatrical sailors, with belts, buckles, pigtails, and pistols co what is called in play-bills a terrific combat, with two of those short broad-swords with basket hilts which are coained a great advantage over the tall boy, as reduced to e heavy ainst the corner of a table, who emphatically adjured them to strike a littlethe house down, on the very first night

'Mr Vincent Crureat deference 'This is the young gentleman'

Mr Vincent Crummles received Nicholas with an inclination of the head, so between the courtesy of a Roman emperor and the nod of a pot coone

'There's a picture,' said Mr Cru Nicholas not to advance and spoil it 'The little 'un has hi 'un doesn't knock under, in three seconds, he's a dead ain, boys'

The two combatants went to work afresh, and chopped away until the swords ereat satisfaction of Mr Crureat point indeed The engagement commenced with about two hundred chops administered by the short sailor and the tall sailor alternately, without producing any particular result, until the short sailor was chopped down on one knee; but this was nothing to him, for he worked himself about on the one knee with the assistance of his left hand, and fought most desperately until the tall sailor chopped his sword out of his grasp Now, the inference was, that the short sailor, reduced to this extreive in at once and cry quarter, but, instead of that, he all of a sudden drew a large pistol from his belt and presented it at the face of the tall sailor, as so overco it) that he let the short sailor pick up his sword and begin again Then, the chopping recommenced, and a variety of fancy chops were administered on both sides; such as chops dealt with the left hand, and under the leg, and over the right shoulder, and over the left; and when the short sailor s, which would have shaved them clean off if it had taken effect, the tall sailor jumped over the short sailor's sword, wherefore to balance the matter, and make it all fair, the tall sailor administered the same cut, and the short sailor juing about, and hitching up of the inexpressibles in the absence of braces, and then the short sailor (as the moral character evidently, for he always had the best of it) made a violent demonstration and closed with the tall sailor, who, after a few unavailing struggles, went down, and expired in great torture as the short sailor put his foot upon his breast, and bored a hole in hih

'That'll be a double ENCORE if you take care, boys,' said Mr Crue your clothes'

Having addressed these words to the combatants, he saluted Nicholas, who then observed that the face of Mr Crummles was quite proportionate in size to his body; that he had a very full under-lip, a hoarse voice, as though he were in the habit of shouting very much, and very short black hair, shaved off nearly to the crown of his head-to ad character wigs of any shape or pattern

'What did you think of that, sir?' inquired Mr Cruood, indeed-capital,' answered Nicholas

'You won't see such boys as those very often, I think,' said Mr Cru that if they were a little better match- 'Match!' cried Mr Crummles

'I mean if they were a littlehimself

'Size!' repeated Mr Crummles; 'why, it's the essence of the combat that there should be a foot or two between theet up the syitiainst a big one?-unless there's at least five to one, and we haven't hands enough for that business in our co your pardon That didn't occur to me, I confess'

'It's the main point,' said Mr Crummles 'I open at Ports there, look into the theatre, and see how that'll tell'

Nicholas pro a chair near the fire, fell into conversation with the er at once He was very talkative and communicative, stimulated perhaps, not only by his natural disposition, but by the spirits and water he sipped very plentifully, or the snuff he took in large quantities from a piece of whitey-brown paper in his waistcoat pocket He laid open his affairs without the sth upon the merits of his company, and the acquirements of his family; of both of which, the two broad-sword boys for, it seeentlemen at Portsmouth on the(not for the regular season, but in the course of a wandering speculation), after fulfilling an engageoing that way?' asked the er

'Ye-yes,' said Nicholas 'Yes, I aer, who seeree of confidence as he had himself exhibited

'No,' replied Nicholas

'Never there?'

'Never'

Mr Vincent Cruh, as much as to say, 'If you won't be communicative, you won't;' and took so many pinches of snuff from the piece of paper, one after another, that Nicholas quite wondered where it all went to

While he was thus engaged, Mr Crureat interest at Smike, hom he had appeared considerably struck fro in his chair

'Excuseover to Nicholas, and sinking his voice, 'but what a capital countenance your friend has got!'

'Poor fellow!' said Nicholas, with a half-sard'

'Pluer, quite horrified, 'you'd spoil it for ever'

'Do you think so?'

'Think so, sir! Why, as he is now,' said thehis knee emphatically; 'without a pad upon his body, and hardly a touch of paint upon his face, he'd make such an actor for the starved business as was never seen in this country Only let him be tolerably well up in the Apothecary in Rohtest possible dab of red on the tip of his nose, and he'd be certain of three rounds the moment he put his head out of the practicable door in the front grooves OP'

'You view hi

'And well I ularly cut out for that line, since I've been in the profession And I played the heavy children when I was eighteen , which came in simultaneously with the junior Vincent Crummleses, turned the conversation to other ether These two young gentlemen wielded their knives and forks with scarcely less address than their broad-swords, and as the whole party were quite as sharp set as either class of weapons, there was no ti until the supper had been disposed of

The Master Crummleses had no sooner sed the last procurable morsel of food, than they evinced, by various half-suppressed yawns and stretchings of their liht, which S, in the course of the meal, fallen asleep several ti Nicholas therefore proposed that they should break up at once, but thethat he had pro his new acquaintance to share a bowl of punch, and that if he declined, he should deeo,' said Mr Vincent Cruether by the fire'

Nicholas was notin truth too anxious-so, after a little deed a shake of the hand with the young Cru on his part bestowed a most affectionate benediction on Sentle the bohich soon afterwards appeared, stea to behold, and sending forth a rance

But, despite the punch and the er, who told a variety of stories, and smoked tobacco from a pipe, and inhaled it in the shape of snuff, with apower, Nicholas was absent and dispirited His thoughts were in his old home, and when they reverted to his present condition, the uncertainty of the loom upon him, which his utmost efforts were unable to dispel His attention wandered; although he heard the er's voice, he was deaf to what he said; and when Mr Vincent Cru adventure with a loud laugh, and an inquiry what Nicholas would have done under the say in his power, and to confess his entire ignorance of all he had been talking about

'Why, so I saw,' observed Mr Crummles 'You're uneasy in your mind What's theat the abruptness of the question; but, thinking it scarcely worth while to parry it, owned that he was under soht not succeed in the object which had brought him to that part of the country

'And what's that?' asked theto do which will keep me and my poor fellow-traveller in the common necessaries of life,' said Nicholas 'That's the truth You guessed it long ago, I dare say, so I race'

'What's to be got to do at Portsmouththe sealing-wax on the ste it out afresh with his little finger

'There arethe port, I suppose,' replied Nicholas 'I shall try for a berth in some shi+p or other There is meat and drink there at all events'

'Saltand chaff-biscuits,' said the ht, and returning to his work of embellishment