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lavengro-第162部分

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ourselves; you; I; and the young woman; the brewer will have no 

hand in that。  I can manage to raise ten pounds; and if by flashing 

that about I don't manage to make a hundred; call me horse。'  'But 

suppose;' said I; 'the party should lose; on whom you sport your 

money; even as the birds did?'  'We must first make all right;' 

said the landlord; 'as I told you before; the birds were irrational 

beings; and therefore couldn't come to an understanding with the 

others; as you and the young woman can。  The birds fought fair; but 

I intend that you and the young woman should fight cross。'  'What 

do you mean by cross?' said I。  'Come; come;' said the landlord; 

'don't attempt to gammon me; you in the ring; and pretend not to 

know what fighting cross is!  That won't do; my fine fellow; but as 

no one is near us; I will speak out。  I intend that you and the 

young woman should understand one another; and agree beforehand 

which should be beat; and if you take my advice; you will determine 

between you that the young woman shall be beat; as I am sure that 

the odds will run high upon her; her character as a fist…woman 

being spread far and wide; so that all the flats who think it will 

be all right will back her; as I myself would; if I thought it 

would be a fair thing。'  'Then;' said I; 'you would not have us 

fight fair?'  'By no means;' said the landlord; 'because why? … I 

conceives that a cross is a certainty to those who are in it; 

whereas by the fair thing one may lose all he has。'  'But;' said I; 

'you said the other day that you liked the fair thing。'  'That was 

by way of gammon;' said the landlord; 'just; do you see; as a 

Parliament cove might say; speechifying from a barrel to a set of 

flats; whom he means to sell。  Come; what do you think of the 

plan?'



'It is a very ingenious one;' said I。



'Ain't it?' said the landlord。  'The folks in this neighbourhood 

are beginning to call me old fool; but if they don't call me 

something else; when they sees me friends with the brewer; and 

money in my pocket; my name is not Catchpole。  Come; drink your 

ale; and go home to the young gentlewoman。'



'I am going;' said I; rising from my seat; after finishing the 

remainder of the ale。



'Do you think she'll have any objection?' said the landlord。



'To do what?' said I。



'Why; to fight cross。'



'Yes; I do;' said I。



'But you will do your best to persuade her?'



'No; I will not;' said I。



'Are you fool enough to wish to fight fair?'



'No;' said I; 'I am wise enough to wish not to fight at all。'



'And how's my brewer to be paid?' said the landlord。



'I really don't know;' said I。



'I'll change my religion;' said the landlord。







CHAPTER XCIII







Another visit … A la Margutte … Clever man … Napoleon's estimate … 

Another statue。



ONE evening Belle and myself received another visit from the man in 

black。  After a little conversation of not much importance; I asked 

him whether he would not take some refreshment; assuring him that I 

was now in possession of some very excellent Hollands; which; with 

a glass; a jug of water; and a lump of sugar; was heartily at his 

service; he accepted my offer; and Belle going with a jug to the 

spring; from which she was in the habit of procuring water for tea; 

speedily returned with it full of the clear; delicious water of 

which I have already spoken。  Having placed the jug by the side of 

the man in black; she brought him a glass and spoon; and a tea…cup; 

the latter containing various lumps of snowy…white sugar:  in the 

meantime I had produced a bottle of the stronger liquid。  The man 

in black helped himself to some water; and likewise to some 

Hollands; the proportion of water being about two…thirds; then 

adding a lump of sugar; he stirred the whole up; tasted it; and 

said that it was good。



'This is one of the good things of life;' he added; after a short 

pause。



'What are the others?' I demanded。



'There is Malvoisia sack;' said the man in black; 'and partridge; 

and beccafico。'



'And what do you say to high mass?' said I。



'High mass!' said the man in black; 'however;' he continued; after 

a pause; 'I will be frank with you; I came to be so; I may have 

heard high mass on a time; and said it too; but as for any 

predilection for it; I assure you I have no more than for a long 

High Church sermon。'



'You speak a la Margutte;' said I。



'Margutte!' said the man in black; musingly; 'Margutte!'



'You have read Pulci; I suppose?' said I。



'Yes; yes;' said the man in black; laughing; 'I remember。'



'He might be rendered into English;' said I; 'something in this 

style:





'To which Margutte answered with a sneer;

I like the blue no better than the black;

My faith consists alone in savoury cheer;

In roasted capons; and in potent sack;

But above all; in famous gin and clear;

Which often lays the Briton on his back;

With lump of sugar; and with lymph from well;

I drink it; and defy the fiends of hell。'





'He! he! he!' said the man in black; 'that is more than Mezzofante 

could have done for a stanza of Byron。'



'A clever man;' said I。



'Who?' said the man in black。



'Mezzofante di Bologna。'



'He! he! he!' said the man in black; 'now I know that you are not a 

gypsy; at least a soothsayer; no soothsayer would have said that … 

'



'Why;' said I; 'does he not understand five…and…twenty tongues?'



'Oh yes;' said the man in black; 'and five…and…twenty added to 

them; but; he! he! he! it was principally from him; who is 

certainly the greatest of Philologists; that I formed my opinion of 

the sect。'



'You ought to speak of him with more respect;' said I; 'I have 

heard say that he has done good service to your See。'



'Oh yes;' said the man in black; 'he has done good service to our 

See; that is; in his way; when the neophytes of the Propaganda are 

to be examined in the several tongues in which they are destined to 

preach; he is appointed to question them; the questions being first 

written down for him; or else; he! he! he! … Of course you know 

Napoleon's estimate of Mezzofante; he sent for the linguist from 

motives of curiosity; and after some discourse with him; told him 

that he might depart; then turning to some of his generals he 

observed; 〃Nous avons eu ici un exemple qu'un homme peut avoir 

beaucoup de paroles avec bien pen d'esprit。〃'



'You are ungrateful to him;' said I; 'well; perhaps; when he is 

dead and gone you will do him justice。'



'True;' said the man in black; 'when he is dead and gone; we intend 

to erect him a statue of wood; on the left…hand side of the door of 

the Vatican library。'



'Of wood?' said I。



'He was the son of a carpenter; you know;' said the man in black; 

'the figure will be of wood for no other reason; I assure you; he! 

he!'



'You should place an
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