Sylvia's Lovers

Bell did not say a word in reply, but Sylvia tapped his shoulder

with a pretty little authoritative air.

'It's for me, feyther. I'm just keen-set for my supper. Once let me

get quickly set down to it, and Philip there to his glass o' grog,

and you'll never have such listeners in your life, and mother's mind

will be at ease too.' 'Eh! thou's a wilfu' wench,' said the proud father, giving her a

great slap on her back. 'Well! set thee down to thy victual, and be

quiet wi' thee, for I want to finish my tale to Philip. But,

perhaps, I've telled it yo' afore?' said he, turning round to

question Hepburn.

Hepburn could not say that he had not heard it, for he piqued

himself on his truthfulness. But instead of frankly and directly

owning this, he tried to frame a formal little speech, which would

soothe Daniel's mortified vanity; and, of course, it had the

directly opposite effect. Daniel resented being treated like a

child, and yet turned his back on Philip with all the wilfulness of

one. Sylvia did not care for her cousin, but hated the discomfort of

having her father displeased; so she took up her tale of adventure,

and told her father and mother of her afternoon's proceedings.

Daniel pretended not to listen at first, and made ostentatious

noises with his spoon and glass; but by-and-by he got quite warm and

excited about the doings of the press-gang, and scolded both Philip

and Sylvia for not having learnt more particulars as to what was the

termination of the riot.

'I've been whaling mysel',' said he; 'and I've heerd tell as whalers

wear knives, and I'd ha' gi'en t' gang a taste o' my whittle, if I'd

been cotched up just as I'd set my foot a-shore.' 'I don't know,' said Philip; 'we're at war wi' the French, and we

shouldn't like to be beaten; and yet if our numbers are not equal to

theirs, we stand a strong chance of it.' 'Not a bit on't--so be d--d!' said Daniel Robson, bringing down his

fist with such violence on the round deal table, that the glasses

and earthenware shook again. 'Yo'd not strike a child or a woman,

for sure! yet it 'ud be like it, if we did na' give the Frenchies

some 'vantages--if we took 'em wi' equal numbers. It's not fair

play, and that's one place where t' shoe pinches. It's not fair play

two ways. It's not fair play to cotch up men as has no call for

fightin' at another man's biddin', though they've no objection to

fight a bit on their own account and who are just landed, all keen

after bread i'stead o' biscuit, and flesh-meat i'stead o' junk, and

beds i'stead o' hammocks. (I make naught o' t' sentiment side, for I

were niver gi'en up to such carnal-mindedness and poesies.) It's

noane fair to cotch 'em up and put 'em in a stifling hole, all lined

with metal for fear they should whittle their way out, and send 'em

off to sea for years an' years to come. And again it's no fair play

to t' French. Four o' them is rightly matched wi' one o' us; and if

we go an' fight 'em four to four it's like as if yo' fell to beatin'

Sylvie there, or little Billy Croxton, as isn't breeched. And that's

my mind. Missus, where's t' pipe?' Philip did not smoke, so took his turn at talking, a chance he

seldom had with Daniel, unless the latter had his pipe between his

lips. So after Daniel had filled it, and used Sylvia's little finger

as a stopper to ram down the tobacco--a habit of his to which she

was so accustomed that she laid her hand on the table by him, as

naturally as she would have fetched him his spittoon when he began

to smoke--Philip arranged his arguments, and began-'I'm for fair play wi' the French as much as any man, as long as we

can be sure o' beating them; but, I say, make sure o' that, and then

give them ivery advantage. Now I reckon Government is not sure as

yet, for i' the papers it said as half th' ships i' th' Channel

hadn't got their proper complement o' men; and all as I say is, let

Government judge a bit for us; and if they say they're hampered for

want o' men, why we must make it up somehow. John and Jeremiah

Foster pay in taxes, and Militiaman pays in person; and if sailors

cannot pay in taxes, and will not pay in person, why they must be

made to pay; and that's what th' press-gang is for, I reckon. For my

part, when I read o' the way those French chaps are going on, I'm

thankful to be governed by King George and a British Constitution.' Daniel took his pipe out of his mouth at this.