第21章 A BUSINESS MEETING.(2)

The hour of nine was come this morning,and I had no sooner set chairs,by the steward's letter,and fixed my tea-equipage,but Iheard a knock at my door,which was opened,but no one entered;after which followed a long silence,which was broke at last by,"Sir,I beg your pardon;I think I know better,"and another voice,"Nay,good Sir Giles--"I looked out from my window,and saw the good company all with their hats off and arms spread,offering the door to each other.After many offers,they entered with much solemnity,in the order Mr.Thrifty was so kind as to name them to me.But they are now got to my chamber-door,and I saw my old friend Sir Harry enter.I met him with all the respect due to so reverend a vegetable;for you are to know that is my sense of a person who remains idle in the same place for half a century.I got him with great success into his chair by the fire,without throwing down any of my cups.The knight-bachelor told me "he had a great respect for my whole family,and would,with my leave,place himself next to Sir Harry,at whose right hand he had sat at every quarter-sessions these thirty years,unless he was sick."The steward in the rear whispered the young templar,"That is true to my knowledge."I had the misfortune,as they stood cheek by jowl,to desire the esquire to sit down before the justice of the quorum,to the no small satisfaction of the former,and resentment of the latter.But I saw my error too late,and got them as soon as Icould into their seats."Well,"said I,"gentlemen,after I have told you how glad I am of this great honour,I am to desire you to drink a dish of tea."They answered one and all,"that they never drank tea in a morning.""Not in a morning!"said I,staring round me;upon which the pert jackanapes,Nic Doubt,tipped me the wink,and put out his tongue at his grandfather.Here followed a profound silence,when the steward in his boots and whip proposed,"that we should adjourn to some public house,where everybody might call for what they pleased,and enter upon the business."We all stood up in an instant,and Sir Harry filed off from the left,very discreetly,countermarching behind the chairs towards the door.After him Sir Giles in the same manner.The simple esquire made a sudden start to follow,but the justice of the quorum whipped between upon the stand of the stairs.A maid,going up with coals,made us halt,and put us into such confusion that we stood all in a heap,without any visible possibility of recovering our order;for the young jackanapes seemed to make a jest of this matter,and had so contrived,by pressing amongst us under pretence of making way,that his grandfather was got into the middle,and he knew nobody was of quality to stir a step till Sir Harry moved first.We were fixed in this perplexity for some time,till we heard a very loud noise in the street,and Sir Harry asking what it was,I,to make them move,said it was fire.Upon this,all ran down as fast as they could,without order or ceremony,till we got into the street,where we drew up in very good order,and filed off down Sheer Lane;the impertinent templar driving us before him as in a string,and pointing to his acquaintance who passed by.

I must confess I love to use people according to their own sense of good breeding,and therefore whipped in between the justice and the simple esquire.He could not properly take this ill,but Ioverheard him whisper the steward,"that he thought it hard that a common conjuror should take place of him,though an elder esquire."In this order we marched down Sheer Lane,at the upper end of which I lodge.

When we came to Temple Bar,Sir Harry and Sir Giles got over,but a run of coaches kept the rest of us on this side the street.

However,we all at last landed,and drew up in very good order before Ben Tooke's shop,who favoured our rallying with great humanity;from whence we proceeded again till we came to Dick's coffee-house,where I designed to carry them.Here we were at our old difficulty,and took up the street upon the same ceremony.We proceeded through the entry,and were so necessarily kept in order by the situation,that we were now got into the coffee-house itself,where,as soon as we arrived we repeated our civilities to each other,after which,we marched up to the high table,which has an ascent to it enclosed in the middle of the room.The whole house was alarmed at this entry,made up of persons of so much state and rusticity.Sir Harry called for a mug of ale and Dyer's Letter.

The boy brought the ale in an instant,but said they did not take in the Letter."No!"says Sir Harry,"then take back your mug;we are like indeed to have good liquor at this house!"Here the templar tipped me a second wink,and,if I had not looked very grave upon him,I found he was disposed to be very familiar with me.In short,I observed after a long pause,that the gentlemen did not care to enter upon business till after their morning draught,for which reason I called for a bottle of mum,and finding that had no effect upon them,I ordered a second and a third,after which Sir Harry reached over to me and told me in a low voice,"that the place was too public for business,but he would call upon me again to-morrow morning at my own lodgings,and bring some more friends with him."