One of Our Conquerors - World eBook Library

George Meredith
of size for a smallness that has not yet taught it the prostrating
lesson, he said: ‘Weight tells.’
‘In a wrestle,’ Skepsey admitted. ‘Allow me to say, you would
not touch me.’
‘And how do you know I’m not a trifle handy with the
maulers myself?’
‘You will pardon me for saying, it would be worse for you
if you were.’
The pork-butcher was flung backward. ‘Are you a Professor,
may I inquire?’
Skepsey rejected the title. ‘I can engage to teach young
men, upon a proper observance of first principles.’
‘They be hanged!’ cried the ruffled pork-butcher. ‘Our best
men never got it out of books. Now, you tell me—you’ve got
a spiflicating style of talk about you—no brag, you tell me—
course, the best man wins, if you mean that: now, if I was
one of ‘em, and I fetches you a bit of a flick, how then?
Would you be ready to step out with a real Professor?’
‘I should claim a fair field,’ was the answer, made in modesty.
‘And you’d expect to whop me with they there principles
of yours?’
‘I should expect to.’
‘Bang me!’ was roared. After a stare at the mild little figure
with the fitfully dead-levelled large grey eyes in front of him,
the pork-butcher resumed: ‘Take you for the man you say
you be, you’re just the man for my friend Jam and me. He
dearly loves to see a set-to, self the same. What prettier? And
if you would be so obliging some day as to favour us with a
display, we’d head a cap conformably, whether you’d the best
of it, according to your expectations, or t’ other way:—For
there never was shame in a jolly good licking as the song
says: that is, if you take it and make it appear jolly good.
And find you an opponent meet and fit, never doubt. Ever
had the worse of an encounter, sir?’
‘Often, Sir.’
‘Well, that’s good. And it didn’t destroy your confidence?’
‘Added to it, I hope.’
At this point, it became a crying necessity for Skepsey to
escape from an area of boastfulness, into which he had fallen
inadvertently; and he hastened to apologize ‘for his personal
reference,’ that was intended for an illustration of our country
caught unawares by a highly trained picked soldiery, in-
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