194 DICK ROOK. 



during the first part of our walk in the morning, 

 Dick had been liberally tipped by some of the 

 party (myself amongst the rest,) and yet he said 

 that he had no money to pay for some refreshment, 

 he had had at the alehouse, and which the land- 

 lord had omitted to charge when my friend paid 

 his demand. Dick sturdily persisted that he had 

 no money, nor would he condescend to say, what 

 he had done with that which he had received in the 

 morning. I saw plainly that he was suspected of 

 having wasted it in drinking, or some other extra- 

 vagance. Indeed, he was accused of the former, 

 but he asserted that he had only partaken of bread 

 and cheese and a pint of ale a fact which the 

 landlord confirmed. An unpleasant impression, 

 however, with respect to Dick's conduct in this 

 affair, had evidently been left on our host's mind, 

 and we began our way homewards in silence. Dick 

 was a favourite with us all, and we observed that 

 look of hurt pride and independence, which he 

 occasionally exhibited, and which were more appa- 

 rent in him now than ever. i Has not a man a 

 right to do what he pleases with his own money/' 

 he had said, when first questioned ; and he refused 

 to make any further explanation. 



The mystery was soon afterwards accidentally 

 cleared up. It appeared that in the course of the 

 morning Dick had fallen in with a man, who, per- 

 haps, had seen better days, but was then suffering 



