Great Expectations

"You have just come down?" said Mr. Drummle, edging me a little away

with his shoulder.

"Yes," said I, edging him a little away with my shoulder.

"Beastly place," said Drummle. "Your part of the country, I think?"

"Yes," I assented. "I am told it's very like your Shropshire."

"Not in the least like it," said Drummle.

Here Mr. Drummle looked at his boots and I looked at mine, and then Mr.

Drummle looked at my boots, and I looked at his.

"Have you been here long?" I asked, determined not to yield an inch of

the fire.

"Long enough to be tired of it," returned Drummle, pretending to yawn,

but equally determined.

"Do you stay here long?"

"Can't say," answered Mr. Drummle. "Do you?"

"Can't say," said I.

I felt here, through a tingling in my blood, that if Mr. Drummle's

shoulder had claimed another hair's breadth of room, I should have

jerked him into the window; equally, that if my own shoulder had urged a

similar claim, Mr. Drummle would have jerked me into the nearest box. He

whistled a little. So did I.

"Large tract of marshes about here, I believe?" said Drummle.

"Yes. What of that?" said I.

Mr. Drummle looked at me, and then at my boots, and then said, "Oh!" and

laughed.

"Are you amused, Mr. Drummle?"

"No," said he, "not particularly. I am going out for a ride in the

saddle. I mean to explore those marshes for amusement. Out-of-the-way

villages there, they tell me. Curious little public-houses--and

smithies--and that. Waiter!"

"Yes, sir."

"Is that horse of mine ready?"

"Brought round to the door, sir."

"I say. Look here, you sir. The lady won't ride to-day; the weather

won't do."

"Very good, sir."

"And I don't dine, because I'm going to dine at the lady's."

"Very good, sir."

Then, Drummle glanced at me, with an insolent triumph on his

great-jowled face that cut me to the heart, dull as he was, and so

exasperated me, that I felt inclined to take him in my arms (as the

robber in the story-book is said to have taken the old lady) and seat

him on the fire.

One thing was manifest to both of us, and that was, that until relief

came, neither of us could relinquish the fire. There we stood, well

squared up before it, shoulder to shoulder and foot to foot, with our

hands behind us, not budging an inch. The horse was visible outside in

the drizzle at the door, my breakfast was put on the table, Drummle's

was cleared away, the waiter invited me to begin, I nodded, we both

stood our ground.