KENILWORTH - Penn State University

Sir Walter Scotthas a reputation to keep up in the eye of the world. You mustsomewhat reform your dress, upon a more grave and composedfashion; wear your cloak on both shoulders, and yourfalling band unrumpled and well starched. You must enlargethe brim of your beaver, and diminish the superfluity of yourtrunk-hose; go to church, or, which will be better, to meeting,at least once a month; protest only upon your faith andconscience; lay aside your swashing look, and never touch thehilt of your sword but when you would draw the carnalweapon in good earnest.”“By this light, Anthony, thou art mad,” answeredLambourne, “and hast described rather the gentleman-usherto a puritan’s wife, than the follower of an ambitious courtier!Yes, such a thing as thou wouldst make of me shouldwear a book at his girdle instead of a poniard, and might justbe suspected of manhood enough to squire a proud damecitizento the lecture at Saint Antonlin’s, and quarrel in hercause with any flat-capped threadmaker that would take thewall of her. He must ruffle it in another sort that would walkto court in a nobleman’s train.”“Oh, content you, sir,” replied Foster, “there is a changesince you knew the English world; and there are those whocan hold their way through the boldest courses, and the mostsecret, and yet never a swaggering word, or an oath, or a profaneword in their conversation.”“That is to say,” replied Lambourne, “they are in a tradingcopartnery, to do the devil’s business without mentioning hisname in the firm? Well, I will do my best to counterfeit,rather than lose ground in this new world, since thou sayest itis grown so precise. But, Anthony, what is the name of thisnobleman, in whose service I am to turn hypocrite?”“Aha! Master Michael, are you there with your bears?” saidFoster, with a grim smile; “and is this the knowledge youpretend of my concernments? How know you now there issuch a person in rerum natura, and that I have not been puttinga jape upon you all this time?”“Thou put a jape on me, thou sodden-brained gull?” answeredLambourne, nothing daunted. “Why, dark and muddyas thou think’st thyself, I would engage in a day’s space to secas clear through thee and thy concernments, as thou callestthem, as through the filthy horn of an old stable lantern.”At this moment their conversation was interrupted by a45