CHAPTER V

Fresh Arrivals--Pitching the Tent--Certificated Wife--High-flying

Notions.

On the following morning, as I was about to leave my tent, I heard the

voice of Belle at the door, exclaiming, "Sleepest thou, or wakest thou?"

"I was never more awake in my life," said I, going out. "What is the

matter?" "He of the horse-shoe," said she, "Jasper, of whom I have heard

you talk, is above there on the field with all his people; I went out

about a quarter of an hour ago to fill the kettle at the spring, and saw

them arriving." "It is well," said I; "have you any objection to asking

him and his wife to breakfast?" "You can do as you please," said she; "I

have cups enough, and have no objection to their company." "We are the

first occupiers of the ground," said I, "and, being so, should consider

ourselves in the light of hosts, and do our best to practise the duties

of hospitality." "How fond you are of using that word," said Belle; "if

you wish to invite the man and his wife, do so, without more ado;

remember, however, that I have not cups enough, nor indeed tea enough,

for the whole company." Thereupon hurrying up the ascent, I presently

found myself outside the dingle. It was as usual a brilliant morning,

the dewy blades of the rye-grass which covered the plain sparkled

brightly in the beams of the sun, which had probably been about two hours

above the horizon. A rather numerous body of my ancient friends and

allies occupied the ground in the vicinity of the mouth of the dingle.

About five yards on the right I perceived Mr. Petulengro busily employed

in erecting his tent; he held in his hand an iron bar, sharp at the

bottom, with a kind of arm projecting from the top for the purpose of

supporting a kettle or cauldron over the fire, and which is called in the

Romanian language "Kekauviskoe saster." With the sharp end of this Mr.

Petulengro was making holes in the earth, at about twenty inches distant

from each other, into which he inserted certain long rods with a

considerable bend towards the top, which constituted no less than the

timber of the tent, and the supporters of the canvas. Mrs. Petulengro,

and a female with a crutch in her hand, whom I recognised as Mrs. Chikno,

sat near him on the ground, whilst two or three children, from six to ten

years old, who composed the young family of Mr. and Mrs. Petulengro, were

playing about.

"Here we are, brother," said Mr. Petulengro, as he drove the sharp end of

the bar into the ground; "here we are, and plenty of us--Bute dosta

Romany chals."

"I am glad to see you all," said I; "and particularly you, madam," said

I, making a bow to Mrs. Petulengro; "and you also, madam," taking off my

hat to Mrs. Chikno.

"Good-day to you, sir," said Mrs. Petulengro; "you look, as usual,

charmingly, and speak so, too; you have not forgot your manners."

"It is not all gold that glitters," said Mrs. Chikno. "However, good-

morrow to you, young rye."

"I do not see Tawno," said I, looking around; "where is he?"

"Where, indeed!" said Mrs. Chikno; "I don't know; he who countenances him

in the roving line can best answer."

"He will be here anon," said Mr. Petulengro; "he has merely ridden down a

by-road to show a farmer a two-year-old colt; she heard me give him

directions, but she can't be satisfied."

"I can't indeed," said Mrs. Chikno.

"And why not, sister?"

"Because I place no confidence in your words, brother; as I said before,

you countenances him."

"Well," said I, "I know nothing of your private concerns; I am come on an

errand. Isopel Berners, down in the dell there, requests the pleasure of

Mr. and Mrs. Petulengro's company at breakfast. She will be happy also

to see you, madam," said I, addressing Mrs. Chikno.

"Is that young female your wife, young man?" said Mrs. Chikno.

"My wife?" said I.

"Yes, young man; your wife, your lawful certificated wife?"

"No," said I; "she is not my wife."

"Then I will not visit with her," said Mrs. Chikno; "I countenance

nothing in the roving line."

"What do you mean by the roving line?" I demanded.

"What do I mean by the roving line? Why, by it I mean such conduct as is

not tatcheno. When ryes and rawnies live together in dingles, without

being certificated, I call such behaviour being tolerably deep in the

roving line, everything savouring of which I am determined not to

sanctify. I have suffered too much by my own certificated husband's

outbreaks in that line to afford anything of the kind the slightest

shadow of countenance."

"It is hard that people may not live in dingles together without being

suspected of doing wrong," said I.

"So it is," said Mrs. Petulengro, interposing; "and, to tell you the

truth, I am altogether surprised at the illiberality of my sister's

remarks. I have often heard say, that it is in good company--and I have

kept good company in my time--that suspicion is king's evidence of a

narrow and uncultivated mind; on which account I am suspicious of nobody,

not even of my own husband, whom some people would think I have a right

to be suspicious of, seeing that on his account I once refused a lord;

but ask him whether I am suspicious of him, and whether I seek to keep

him close tied to my apron-string; he will tell you nothing of the kind;

but that, on the contrary, I always allows him an agreeable latitude,

permitting him to go where he pleases, and to converse with any one to

whose manner of speaking he may take a fancy. But I have had the

advantage of keeping good company, and therefore--"

"Meklis," said Mrs. Chikno, "pray drop all that, sister; I believe I have

kept as good company as yourself; and with respect to that offer with

which you frequently fatigue those who keeps company with you, I believe,

after all, it was something in the roving and uncertificated line."

"In whatever line it was," said Mrs. Petulengro, "the offer was a good

one. The young duke--for he was not only a lord, but a duke too--offered

to keep me a fine carriage, and to make me his second wife; for it is

true that he had another who was old and stout, though mighty rich, and

highly good-natured; so much so, indeed, that the young lord assured me

that she would have no manner of objection to the arrangement; more

especially if I would consent to live in the same house with her, being

fond of young and cheerful society. So you see--"

"Yes, yes," said Mrs. Chikno, "I see, what I before thought, that it was

altogether in the uncertificated line."

"Meklis," said Mrs. Petulengro; "I use your own word, madam, which is

Romany: for my own part, I am not fond of using Romany words, unless I

can hope to pass them off for French, which I cannot in the present

company. I heartily wish that there was no such language, and do my best

to keep it away from my children, lest the frequent use of it should

altogether confirm them in low and vulgar habits. I have four children,

madam, but--"

"I suppose by talking of your four children you wish to check me for

having none," said Mrs. Chikno, bursting into tears; "if I have no

children, sister, it is no fault of mine, it is--but why do I call you

sister?" said she, angrily; "you are no sister of mine, you are a grasni,

a regular mare--a pretty sister, indeed, ashamed of your own language. I

remember well that by your high-flying notions you drove your own

mother--"

"We will drop it," said Mrs. Petulengro; "I do not wish to raise my

voice, and to make myself ridiculous. Young gentleman," said she, "pray

present my compliments to Miss Isopel Berners, and inform her that I am

very sorry that I cannot accept her polite invitation. I am just

arrived, and have some slight domestic matters to see to--amongst others,

to wash my children's faces; but that in the course of the forenoon, when

I have attended to what I have to do, and have dressed myself, I hope to

do myself the honour of paying her a regular visit; you will tell her

that, with my compliments. With respect to my husband he can answer for

himself, as I, not being of a jealous disposition, never interferes with

his matters."

"And tell Miss Berners," said Mr. Petulengro, "that I shall be happy to

wait upon her in company with my wife as soon as we are regularly

settled: at present I have much on my hands, having not only to pitch my

own tent, but this here jealous woman's, whose husband is absent on my

business."

Thereupon I returned to the dingle, and, without saying anything about

Mrs. Chikno's observations, communicated to Isopel the messages of Mr.

and Mrs. Petulengro; Isopel made no other reply than by replacing in her

coffer two additional cups and saucers, which, in expectation of company,

she had placed upon the board. The kettle was by this time boiling. We

sat down, and, as we breakfasted, I gave Isopel Berners another lesson in

the Armenian language.