

The Tailor of Brummelton. 475 



world ; and so for some time Holecote amused himself very inno- 

 cently with a large loaf, the castellated ruins of a cheese, and his 

 Lucy, never heeding the eyes of wonder which the father seemed to 

 cast on him in the meanwhile. 



Newly returned from that great city where such weighty matters, 

 with many others, are fully debated, and whence they derive their 

 laws, it was no wonder that the old man could not but gaze at the 

 strange equipment of Master Andrew ; for in no one point was the 

 outer Adam of that young gentleman in accordance with the dogmas 

 of his revered master on this subject. For a tailor to aim at so much, 

 and to be so much in fault, was grievous in the eyes of the old knight 

 of the crossed-legs, so the latter forthwith attacked the youth on the 

 matter. 



" Andrew Holecote, " said he, " where got ye that skrirnped, ill- 

 favoured cloak, and those egregious breeches? Are ye mad, my 

 man ? Who ever saw the like ?'* The young man was petrified. 

 " You returned from London, Master Slops, and not to know that 

 these traps be the fashion !" 



" The fashion of a hundred years agone, lad, you mean/' 



" No, no, of the times, master ! The mode of the day. There is 

 nothing else worn in Brummelton, is there Lucy ?'' said Andrew, 

 with full assurance of a corroborative reply. 



"What! and that steeple hat '?" demanded Slops. 



" Call it what you will, that hat is in the newest style of the French 

 capital," contended the apprentice. 



'* And dost pretend to tell me this,'' said Slops, beginning to fret; 

 " me, who am just come home from our court itself? Know'st not 

 where I have been ?'' 



" Not exactly, Master Slops ; I only know what has taken place in 

 your absence. Never did such good luck fall out to any town as to 

 ours '." 



Thus spoke Andrew, whose opinion was an instance of the truth of 

 the saying, that few find aught amiss with that stream which carries 

 them on their own course. Andrew had benefited greatly by a re- 

 cent occurrence, the events of which he, at Jenkin's desire, immedi- 

 ately narrated. Better acquainted, however, with particulars, we 

 shall prefer our own version of the story. 



The greater number of the inhabitants of Brummelton were walk- 

 ing on the beach one evening soon after Jenkin's departure from that 

 town, refreshing themselves in the sea-breeze, and exerting their in- 

 genuity in the endeavour to discover to what country the small vessel 

 now making for their shores might belong ; when, on a near ap- 

 proach, the uncommon " cut of her jib" (we presume the phrase is 

 classically applied) and other tokens led the loungers to pay more 

 particular attention to the stranger. Driving the dancing foam be- 

 fore her bows, the vessel neared. She entered the harbour, and for 

 once the inhabitants of Brummelton had an incident whereon to pon- 

 der at their evening meal. The approach to the quay was attended 

 with all the necessary bawling and disputing so much in vogue to the 

 present day ; the scene being seasoned with a few trifling oaths in a 

 great many languages, much chucking of ropes from hand to hand, 



