“The air of London don’t agree with me just now,” was the reply; “and how are you, Jack?”
“The country air’s just beginning to disagree with me, my dear,” said the hunchback; “but I’m glad to see you, Sal. Come in here, my dear, and let’s have a talk, and a little refreshment.”
The place of refreshment to which the dwarf alluded was another public-house, the White Horse by name. There was no need to bid the Cheap Jack’s white horse to pause here; he stopped of himself at every public-house; nineteen times out of twenty to the great convenience of his master, for which he got no thanks; the twentieth time the hunchback did not want to stop, and he was lavish of abuse of the beast’s stupidity in coming to a standstill.
The white horse drooped his soft white nose and weary neck for a long, long time under the effigy of his namesake swinging overhead, and when the Cheap Jack did come out, he seemed so preoccupied that the tired beast got home with fewer blows than usual.
He unloaded his cart mechanically, as if in a dream; but when he touched the pictures, they seemed to awaken a fresh train of thought. He stamped one of his little feet spitefully on the ground, and, with a pretty close imitation of George’s dialect, said bitterly, “Gearge bean’t such a vool as a looks!” adding, after a pause, “I’d do a deal to pay _him_ off!”
As he turned into the house, he said thoughtfully, “Sal’s precious sharp; she allus was. And a fine woman, too, is Sal!”
Not long after the incidents just related, it happened that business called Mrs. Lake to the neighboring town. She seldom went out, but a well-to-do aunt was sick, and wished to see her; and the miller gave his consent to her going.
She met the milk-cart at the corner of the road, and so was driven to the town, and she took Jan with her.
He had begged hard to go, and was intensely amused by all he saw. The young Lakes were so thoroughly in the habit of taking every thing, whether commonplace or curious, in the same phlegmatic fashion, that Jan’s pleasure was a new pleasure to his foster-mother, and they enjoyed themselves greatly.
As they were making their way towards the inn where they were to pick up a neighbor, in whose cart they were to be driven home, their progress was hindered by a crowd, which had collected near one of the churches.