THE SHEPHERD OF THE DOWNS 107 



go to work, and the degree of reluctance each man 

 felt at the necessity of turning out of bed. On this 

 subject the young and tipsy man spoke feelingly, and 

 was almost eloquent. He said that with him it gene- 

 rally depended on how much beer he had drunk the 

 previous day : if he had drunk a good deal, then he 

 woke with such a bad head and such a weight on him 

 that to turn out was a positive torture, and he was 

 miserable all day long. He believed, he added, that 

 it must be pretty much the same with everybody. 



No one answered him a word ; he was touching on 

 delicate ground. But their silence piqued him, and 

 staring defiantly round he continued, " If you ask me, 

 I'll tell you what my opinion really is. My opinion is 

 that beer is the curse of the country. And when I say 

 that beer is the curse of the country I'm pretty blank 

 well sure that I'm pretty blank well right." And 

 here, to emphasise his expression of opinion, which 

 had not perhaps been strong enough to satisfy him, 

 he banged his fist on the deal table at which he sat, 

 and in doing so accidentally capsized his tall blue 

 mug, and sent the contents streaming all over the 

 wood. Picking up the mug he rapped loudly on the 

 table with it, and when the publican came from an 

 inner room ordered him to wipe up the spilt beer and 

 fill his mug again. 



Consistent young man ! The others gazed at him 

 with grave disapproval in their blue not quite steady 

 eyes, but said nothing. His sentiments were no doubt 



