CHAPTER XXIX

Deliberations with Self-Resolution--Invitation to Dinner--The Commercial

Traveller--The Landlord's Offer--The Comet Wine.

It was now that I had frequent deliberations with myself. Should I

continue at the inn in my present position? I was not very much

captivated with it; there was little poetry in keeping an account of the

corn, hay, and straw which came in, and was given out, and I was fond of

poetry; moreover, there was no glory at all to be expected in doing so,

and I was fond of glory. Should I give up that situation, and remaining

at the inn, become ostler under old Bill? There was more poetry in

rubbing down horses than in keeping an account of straw, hay, and corn;

there was also some prospect of glory attached to the situation of

ostler, for the grooms and stable-boys occasionally talked of an ostler,

a great way down the road, who had been presented by some sporting

people, not with a silver vase, as our governor had been, but with a

silver currycomb, in testimony of their admiration for his skill; but I

confess that the poetry of rubbing down had become, as all other poetry

becomes, rather prosy by frequent repetition, and with respect to the

chance of deriving glory from the employment, I entertained, in the event

of my determining to stay, very slight hope of ever attaining skill in

the ostler art sufficient to induce sporting people to bestow upon me a

silver currycomb. I was not half so good an ostler as old Bill, who had

never been presented with a silver currycomb, and I never expected to

become so, therefore what chance had I? It was true, there was a

prospect of some pecuniary emolument to be derived by remaining in either

situation. It was very probable that, provided I continued to keep an

account of the hay and corn coming in and expended, the landlord would

consent to allow me a pound a week, which at the end of a dozen years,

provided I kept myself sober, would amount to a considerable sum. I

might, on the retirement of old Bill, by taking his place, save up a

decent sum of money, provided, unlike him, I kept myself sober, and laid

by all the shillings and sixpences I got; but the prospect of laying up a

decent sum of money was not of sufficient importance to induce me to

continue either at my wooden desk, or in the inn-yard. The reader will

remember what difficulty I had to make up my mind to become a merchant

under the Armenian's auspices, even with the prospect of making two or

three hundred thousand pounds by following the Armenian way of doing

business, so it was not probable that I should feel disposed to be a book-

keeper or ostler all my life with no other prospect than being able to

make a tidy sum of money. If indeed, besides the prospect of making a

tidy sum at the end of perhaps forty years' ostlering, I had been certain

of being presented with a silver currycomb with my name engraved upon it,

which I might have left to my descendants, or, in default thereof, to the

parish church destined to contain my bones, with directions that it might

be soldered into the wall above the arch leading from the body of the

church into the chancel--I will not say with such a certainty of

immortality, combined with such a prospect of moderate pecuniary

advantage,--I might not have thought it worth my while to stay, but I

entertained no such certainty, and, taking everything into consideration,

I determined to mount my horse and leave the inn.

This horse had caused me for some time past no little perplexity; I had

frequently repented of having purchased him, more especially as the

purchase had been made with another person's money, and had more than

once shown him to people who, I imagined, were likely to purchase him;

but, though they were profuse in his praise, as people generally are in

the praise of what they don't intend to purchase, they never made me an

offer, and now that I had determined to mount on his back and ride away,

what was I to do with him in the sequel? I could not maintain him long.

Suddenly I bethought me of Horncastle, which Francis Ardry had mentioned

as a place where the horse was likely to find a purchaser, and not having

determined upon any particular place to which to repair, I thought that I

could do no better than betake myself to Horncastle in the first

instance, and there endeavour to dispose of my horse.

On making inquiries with respect to the situation of Horncastle, and the

time when the fair would be held, I learned that the town was situated in

Lincolnshire, about a hundred and fifty miles from the inn at which I was

at present sojourning, and that the fair would be held nominally within

about a month, but that it was always requisite to be on the spot some

days before the nominal day of the fair, as all the best horses were

generally sold before that time, and the people who came to purchase gone

away with what they had bought.

The people of the inn were very sorry on being informed of my

determination to depart. Old Bill told me that he had hoped as how I had

intended to settle down there, and to take his place as ostler when he

was fit for no more work, adding, that though I did not know much of the

business, yet he had no doubt but that I might improve. My friend the

postillion was particularly sorry, and taking me with him to the tap-room

called for two pints of beer, to one of which he treated me; and whilst

we were drinking told me how particularly sorry he was at the thought of

my going, but that he hoped I should think better of the matter. On my

telling him that I must go, he said that he trusted I should put off my

departure for three weeks, in order that I might be present at his

marriage, the banns of which were just about to be published. He said

that nothing would give him greater pleasure than to see me dance a

minuet with his wife after the marriage dinner; but I told him it was

impossible that I should stay, my affairs imperatively calling me

elsewhere; and that with respect to my dancing a minuet, such a thing was

out of the question, as I had never learned to dance. At which he said

that he was exceedingly sorry, and finding me determined to go, wished me

success in all my undertakings.

The master of the house, to whom, as in duty bound, I communicated my

intention before I spoke of it to the servants, was, I make no doubt,

very sorry, though he did not exactly tell me so. What he said was, that

he had never expected that I should remain long there, as such a

situation never appeared to him quite suitable to me, though I had been

very diligent, and had given him perfect satisfaction. On his inquiring

when I intended to depart, I informed him next day, whereupon he begged

that I would defer my departure till the next day but one, and do him the

favour of dining with him on the morrow. I informed him that I should be

only too happy.

On the following day at four o'clock I dined with the landlord, in

company with a commercial traveller. The dinner was good, though plain,

consisting of boiled mackerel--rather a rarity in those parts at that

time--with fennel sauce, a prime baron of roast beef after the mackerel,

then a tart and noble Cheshire cheese; we had prime sherry at dinner, and

whilst eating the cheese prime porter, that of Barclay, the only good

porter in the world. After the cloth was removed we had a bottle of very

good port; and whilst partaking of the port I had an argument with the

commercial traveller on the subject of the corn-laws.

The commercial traveller, having worsted me in the argument on the

subject of the corn-laws, got up in great glee, saying that he must order

his gig, as business must be attended to. Before leaving the room,

however, he shook me patronizingly by the hand, and said something to the

master of the house, but in so low a tone that it escaped my ear.

No sooner had he departed than the master of the house told me that his

friend the traveller had just said that I was a confounded sensible young

fellow, and not at all opinionated, a sentiment in which he himself

perfectly agreed--then hemming once or twice, he said that as I was going

on a journey he hoped I was tolerably well provided with money, adding

that travelling was rather expensive, especially on horseback, the manner

in which he supposed, as I had a horse in the stable, I intended to

travel. I told him that though I was not particularly well supplied with

money, I had sufficient for the expenses of my journey, at the end of

which I hoped to procure more. He then hemmed again, and said that since

I had been at the inn I had rendered him a great deal of service in more

ways than one, and that he should not think of permitting me to depart

without making me some remuneration; then putting his hand into his

waistcoat pocket, he handed me a cheque for ten pounds, which he had

prepared beforehand, the value of which he said I could receive at the

next town, or that, if I wished it, any waiter in the house would cash it

for me. I thanked him for his generosity in the best terms I could

select, but, handing him back the cheque, I told him that I could not

accept it, saying, that, so far from his being my debtor, I believed

myself to be indebted to him, as not only myself but my horse had been

living at his house for several weeks. He replied, that as for my board

at a house like his it amounted to nothing, and as for the little corn

and hay which the horse had consumed it was of no consequence, and that

he must insist upon my taking the cheque. But I again declined, telling

him that doing so would be a violation of a rule which I had determined

to follow, and which nothing but the greatest necessity would ever compel

me to break through--never to incur obligations. "But," said he,

"receiving this money will not be incurring an obligation, it is your

due." "I do not think so," said I; "I did not engage to serve you for

money, nor will I take any from you." "Perhaps you will take it as a

loan?" said he. "No," I replied, "I never borrow." "Well," said the

landlord, smiling, "you are different from all others that I am

acquainted with. I never yet knew any one else who scrupled to borrow

and receive obligations; why, there are two baronets in the neighbourhood

who have borrowed money of me, ay, and who have never repaid what they

borrowed; and there are a dozen squires who are under considerable

obligations to me, who I dare say will never return them. Come, you need

not be more scrupulous than your superiors--I mean in station." "Every

vessel must stand on its own bottom," said I; "they take pleasure in

receiving obligations, I take pleasure in being independent. Perhaps

they are wise, and I am a fool, I know not, but one thing I am certain

of, which is, that were I not independent I should be very unhappy: I

should have no visions then." "Have you any relations?" said the

landlord, looking at me compassionately; "excuse me, but I don't think

you are exactly fit to take care of yourself." "There you are mistaken,"

said I, "I can take precious good care of myself; ay, and can drive a

precious hard bargain when I have occasion, but driving bargains is a

widely different thing from receiving gifts. I am going to take my horse

to Horncastle, and when there I shall endeavour to obtain his full

value--ay to the last penny."

"Horncastle!" said the landlord, "I have heard of that place; you mustn't

be dreaming visions when you get there, or they'll steal the horse from

under you. Well," said he, rising, "I shall not press you further on the

subject of the cheque. I intend, however, to put you under an obligation

to me." He then rang the bell, and having ordered two fresh glasses to

be brought, he went out and presently returned with a small pint bottle,

which he uncorked with his own hand; then sitting down, he said, "The

wine that I bring here, is port of eighteen hundred and eleven, the year

of the comet, the best vintage on record; the wine which we have been

drinking," he added, "is good, but not to be compared with this, which I

never sell, and which I am chary of. When you have drunk some of it, I

think you will own that I have conferred an obligation upon you;" he then

filled the glasses, the wine which he poured out diffusing an aroma

through the room; then motioning me to drink, he raised his own glass to

his lips, saying, "Come, friend, I drink to your success at Horncastle."