"It means 'name of a dog.' I
could swear better myself."
"That's right," stormed the Colonel. "As fast as I curse soldiering into
one ear of him, you coax it out of the other! I'll be thankful when you're
under Mother Patterson's wing in Chester."
The coming of Cherry-Cheeks and one of the hard-favoured maids with the
supper, followed by our host with the wine, followed in turn by Master
Freake, put an end to my first lesson in soldiering and the imprecatory
wealth of continental languages, and straightway the host slopped over
with apologies for the delay in serving the supper.
"Things are a bit upset in the town, y' mun know," he said, "and every
wench in the 'Rising Sun' 'as been a devil unknobbed all day. This
red-faced hussy here, when 'er was wanted to set the table, was off to see
if that spindle-shanked Sim across at the Mayor's was safe and sound. And
besides, my lady and y'r 'onours, the famous steak-and-kidney puddin' o'
the 'Rising Sun' must be boiled to a bubble or it's dummacked. If one got
spiled, the news 'ud run down to Chester and up to London in no time, and
the 'Red Lion' 'ud get all my customers.
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