"Good!" said Briarly, laughing. "I'm afraid, if your standard were adopted, that a great many, who now pass themselves off for gentlemen, would be held in little estimation."
"It is the true standard, nevertheless," replied Shears. "A man may try to be a gentleman as much as he pleases, but if he don't try to pay his tailor's bill at the same time, he tries in vain."
"You may be right enough," remarked Briarly, a good deal amused at the tailor's mode of estimating a gentleman, and possessed of a new fact in regard to L--'s claim to the honourable distinction of which he so often boasted.
Shortly after this, it happened that L--made Briarly angry about something, when the latter very unceremoniously took hold of the handle on the young man's face, and moved his head around.
Fortunately, the body moved with the head, or the consequences might have been serious. There were plenty to assure L--that for this insult he must, if he wished to be considered a gentleman, challenge Briarly, and shoot him--if he could. Several days elapsed before L--'s courage rose high enough to enable him to send the deadly missive by the hand of a friend.
Meantime, a wag of a fellow, an intimate friend of Briarly's, appeared in Market street in an old rusty coat, worn hat, and well-mended but clean and whole trowsers and vest. Friend after friend stopped him, and, in astonishment, inquired the cause of this change. He had but one answer, in substance. But we will give his own account of the matter, as related to three or four young bucks in an oyster-house, where they happened to meet him. L--was of the number.
"A patch on your elbow, Tom, as I live!" said one; "and here's another on your vest. Why, old fellow, this is premeditated poverty."
"Better wear patched garments than owe for new ones," replied Tom, with great sobriety.
"Ever since I tried to be a gentleman. I may strut up and down Market street in fine clothes, switch my rattan about, talk nonsense to silly ladies, swear, and drink wine; but if I don't pay my tailor, I'm no gentleman."
"Nonsense," was replied. There was a general laugh, but few of Tom's auditors felt very much flattered by his words.
"No nonsense at all," he said. "We may put on airs of gentility, boast of independence and spirit, and all that; but it's a mean kind of gentility that will let a man flourish about in a fine coat for which he owes his tailor. Wyville has a large bill against me for clothes, Grafton another for boots, and Cox another for hats. I am trying to pay these off--trying to become a gentleman."