A Week at Melto7i. 33 



" Ah ! well, lie was a rum customer_, and no mis- 

 take. I remember when he said to me one afternoon, 

 after he had returned from hunting, ^ Come along, my 

 boy, and see fair play ; I have been grossly insulted 

 by three fellows, and I mean to give them a hiding/ 

 Well, we soon overtook them, close by the bridges, 

 where the railway station stands now. ' Now,' says 

 my lord. ' Fll fight the whole lot of you, one down 

 another come on.^ Sharp^s the word and quick^s the 

 action, for my lord offs with his scarlet coat, waist- 

 coat and shirt, but he would not wait for me to take 

 off his spurs, and he lets drive at number one, who 

 gives him one in the mouth in return, and. head over 

 heels goes my lord on to a heap of broken flints, and 

 his back was scored like a loin of pork. I picks him 

 up and prevailed upon him to let me take off his 

 spurs, and then he finishes number one, takes number 

 two and three in succession and polishes them off, and 

 no mistake. Ah ! but he didn^t always come best off. 

 I recollect when he was coming out of the Harboro^ 

 at daylight, after having had a night of it, and seeing 

 a man about to put out the lamps, he says, 



" ' Don't do that.' 



ii ( Why not ? ' says the lamplighter. 



'^ ' Because Pll give you a hiding if you do.' 



" ^ Don't know so much about that,' says the man. 



" ^ Will you fight ? ' says my lord. 



'' ' Shouldn't mind much about that.' 



" * Come on, then,' says the Marquis. 



'^ And at it they go ; but the lamplighter is too many 

 for him, and he acknowledges he is beaten, but takes 

 it all in good part, saying, ^ You ain't a bad sort of 

 fellow ; come in and have a drink.' Ah ! a liberal 

 man, he was, very free with his money." 3 



