The Virgin in Judgment

trap from Plymouth. He brought a box of humble dimensions, studded with brass nails; while for th

ng shoulders, like a bear on its hind legs, and his great, gentle face, set in its tawny fringe of hair, smiled out upon the world with unusual animation as he shortened his gait, crooked his knees somewhat and gave his arm to his friend. The notable Fogo was a good foot shorter than Reuben--a thin, brisk, clean-shaved man with eyes like a hawk, under very heavy brows, now quite white. His nose was sharp and thin; his mouth, a slit; his ha

these trees and mountains and rocks! But I dar

t a fisherman still, I see--eh? What a man! Not a day o

mufflers. I got my boy through, but he'd have lost if I hadn't been there. And now let me cast my eye over you, 'Dumpling.' The same man; but gone in the hams

so long as I bide in the vale; and I hope you'll have a good tell about her many a time afore you lea

ord!--you breathe nought with a smell to it from year to year! There's not a homely whiff of liquor or fried fish strikes the nose--not so much as the pleasant

abeer; "and by the same token we'd better get on our way, for there'

shirt with a frill and black knee-breeches. Thus attired, he suggested some pettifogging attorney from the beginning of the century. He sat by the fire, smoked a clay and conducted himself with the utmost affability. He was, in fact, no grea

first until Reuben explained his many-sided greatness; then, when the

ok you serious. There was pugs and there was mugs; there was good sportsmen and bad o

ogo n

on the pattern of a fighting man, though the heart was in me; but I had a slice over my share of w

letters stuck after his name, for all the world like other learned men. Th

urse being C.-G. We had the handling of the stakes and ropes of the P.R. from the time that Oliver fought his

as it--P.L.P.R.--eh?"

g.' And it may interest these gentlemen here assembled to know that many and many a time my poems about

ght some along with

I find myself in a bar full of sportsmen of the real old sort, like to-night, I always say to myself, 'not a man

lf, Mr. Fogo?" asked David B

answered the veteran. "T

red Shillabeer. "'Twas after the fight between Tim Crawle

lifted

of forty my tongue was as ready as my pen. Anyhow, I touched Roundhead on the raw and lashed him into such a proper passion that nothing would do but to settle it there and then in the old style. Tommy put down his five shillings and I covered it, though nobody knew 'twas the last two half-crowns I had in my fob at the time. But I was itching to have a slap at the beggar, and into the Ring I went and shouted for Roundhead. Raining, mind you, all the time--raining

clothes and dragged the arm out of my 'upper Benjamin' in doing it. 'Twas just the world's respect for me as a maker of verses, you might say, that kept

ers pictured the joy of playing spectators' parts. Mr. Fogo told story after story, and it seemed with few exceptions that the heroes of the ring, tricky though

out ten year ago now--a bad fight too--'Bendy' won on a foul; after that he got convert

hoker! What a wonder!"

, my lord,' says 'Bendigo'--always ready with a word he was. 'I'm fighting Satan, and I'm going to beat him. Behold, my lord, the victory shall be mine,' he says in his best preaching voice. 'I hope so, "Bendy,"' answers his lordship; 'but pray have a car

luded the 'Dumpling.' "I never knew one of

soon, despite his own cares, found himself as interested as the others. The talk of battle inflamed him and,

ger, who was quite willing to pick a quarrel with this ma

ld pull your face crooked at sigh

ween these two was known.

A chap who could kiss a girl, witho

tter--eh? Because I

s act, it only shows you're not decent. Sh

I kissed a pretty g

, I

oda tel

when I axed her

anting fool; and if women understood you be

, or I'll knock you

"and if that'll help you to

aised his hand and pulled David's nose. A se

artley, while, single-handed, the 'Dumpling' restrained young Bowden. Immense excitement marked the moment. Only Mr. Fogo puffed his long cla

e this and disgrace yourselves and me and the company. Strangers present too! If you wa

nothing better in this world than to give th

bar, Mr. Shillabeer, but no man can say I hadn't enough to make me. I'll not talk big nor threa

n in the proper quarters and not in the wrong ones, there ought to be a little money moving for both of

hands first,"

on the understanding that we're

cker. Then they shook hands and Mr. F

least, I judge it without seeing your bar

ted to

five," said

stand six

eleven an

eleven

it l

ogo n

ach, t'other chap'

examin

" he

ty-ei

igh

foot

igh

wo, or th

you know anyth

," said

on't I," a

hem up and do

e surface why you should

p with me, 'Frosty'?"

thing of the greatest importance before long; but I can write it. If these chaps will come to the scratch in three w

overe

midst, the visitor rose, put

st Maunder in the

e's to be fighting, you've got me against you, and to-morrow I shall

cker, warmly. "The man who spoils sport when Bow

you'll find me an ugly customer, I warn you. Bowden here was daring me to be up and doing a bit ago. Well, you'll soon see h

, Maunder. The Church and the State are both o' your

g may we remain so; but stick to your last, shoemaker, and if these full-grown men be plea

us name of Screech; "if Moses here don't like fair play and nature's weapons, let hi

ll do well to go back on that, Mr. Mo

as you all know, and hope to remain so. But if there's to be the glad chanc

ed and heard some o

Some of the best boys as ever threw a beaver into the Ring were Israelites--

Moses, "though I don't b

th that

people are Dev

quite as quick as you Johnny Raws from the plough-tail; and as there's a fight in the air, I'll be so

oadsheets, and now the old spo

he poems go from the first fight that I ever saw between Hen Pearce, 'the Game Chicken,' and that poor, old, one-eyed lion, Jem Belcher, in 1805; to the great mill between M

the company proved in very vein for these lays of blood. Both the future combatants made several purchases; Mr. Snell also patr

acy couplets from Mr. Fogo's muse, retired, and at last the two old friends were left alone. Shillabeer shut up

h you, 'Dumpling,'" he said, bu

nonsense. You're a great man, and if you be going to stop along of me for three weeks

way, I say no more, because

sat together ov

the wife,"

draw a film over his piercing eyes, ceased joyously to rattle the money in his breec

als. Rabbits and caveys and birds he sold and him a sportsman to the marrow. Thirteen stone in her maiden days, they used to say, and very nearly six feet high--the

d heavily, and licked his li

r. 'Twas the weight she put on after marriage that killed her, '

hat off to it

me beside her, c

You couldn't wait for the trump

when conversation drifted from Mrs. Shillabeer to other matters. They talked until the peat fire sa

e first and conclu

the days we've

ng. "'Tis all summed up in that word and cou