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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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998 last night, some young blustering blade, whom he had never seen, forced his way into his house, and tried to frighten him from the proposed nuptials. Told, in short, what Nicholas had said and done, with the slight reservation upon which he had determined. ‘Well, and what then?’ said Ralph. ‘Oh! nothing more,’ rejoined Gride. ‘He tried to frighten you,’ said Ralph, ‘and you were frightened I suppose; is that it?’ ‘I frightened him by crying thieves and murder,’ replied Gride. ‘Once I was in earnest, I tell you that, for I had more than half a mind to swear he uttered threats, and demanded my life or my money.’ ‘Oho!’ said Ralph, eyeing him askew. ‘Jealous too!’ ‘Dear now, see that!’ cried Arthur, rubbing his hands and affecting to laugh. ‘Why do you make those grimaces, man?’ said Ralph; ‘you are jealous--and with good cause I think.’ ‘No, no, no; not with good cause, hey? You don’t think with good cause, do you?’ cried Arthur, faltering. ‘Do you though, hey?’ ‘Why, how stands the fact?’ returned Ralph. ‘Here is an old man about to be forced in marriage upon a girl; and to this old man there comes a handsome young fellow--you said he was handsome, didn’t you?’ ‘No!’ snarled Arthur Gride. ‘Oh!’ rejoined Ralph, ‘I thought you did. Well! Handsome or not handsome, to this old man there comes a young fellow who casts all manner of fierce defiances in his teeth--gums I should rather say--and tells him in plain terms that his mistress hates him. What does he do that for? Philanthropy’s sake?’ |
