and pressed her to have a glass of wine, and got her into the bar, and then made her have one; and during Legge's progress to the cottage, got out of her all she knew and more.
The reverend gentleman having decided upon a course, of which the pursuit he thought would have a somewhat stunning effect, assumed a position of great importance as Legge entered the room, and addressd him in tones indicative of that authority with which he felt doubly invested.
"Mr. Legge," said he, with an expression of severity, "I am sorry, Mr. Legge, that I have so much cause to complain of your keeping a disorderly house."
"A disorderly house, sir?" cried Legge.
"Yes, sir," retorted the reverend gentleman; "a disorderly house—for disorderly every house must be, if it be not conducted with propriety and decorum."
"I beg pardon, sir: but really, I never heard before that I kept a disorderly house."
"I say, sir, that it is a disorderly house, and I warn you that, as a disorderly house, it shall be indicted, if the scenes—the disgraceful scenes which are to be witnessed there—be not discontinued."
"What scenes? What disgraceful scenes?" demanded Legge, who conscious of the propriety of his own conduct, and the consequent fair reputation of his house, began to feel indignant. "What scenes are to be witnessed there?"
"Scenes, sir, of riot and debauchery; scenes—"
"I deny it."
"Silence, sir; how dare you interrupt me?"
"Dare! I'm a plain, blunt man, sir, and will not be silent when I hear myself falsely denounced. I am not a clergyman: I do not preach humility and practise tyranny: I am the mere keeper of a public-house; I was not always in that position, but even as I am, I defy the world to prove that my conduct has not been straightforward and just. I am also the father of a family, and my children, you know, I have endeavoured to rear in the principles of virtue, morality, and religion. You know this: you know that I would neither set them a bad example myself, nor suffer a bad example to be set them by others: and, am I then, by you, sir, to be told, not only that I keep a disreputable house, but—"
"I did not say a disreputable house."
"You said a disorderly house."
"I did: but not in your sense, disorderly. All I meant to say, was, that occasionally scenes of disorder occurred."
"Why, of course they do. Where is there a house of that description in which scenes of disorder do not occur occasionally? But is it, therefore, to be called a disorderly house?—a house to be indicted?"
"You keep bad hours, sir; you cannot deny that!"
"Occasionally we are compelled to be rather late, but in general we close between ten and eleven."
"The house, sir, was not closed at twelve last night."
