A prince, and my
dislike of his ways doesn't unprince him, is surely worth twice as much as
a duke."
"Swelp me bob," cried the delighted host, slapping his thigh in high
glee, "that 'ud be better than a murder. It's wunnerful how a murder 'elps
a 'ouse. Tek the 'Quiet Woman' o' Madeley. There was a murder there, and a
damn poor thing of a murder it was, nothing but a fudge-mounter cuttin' a
besom-filer's throat; poor wench, 'er lived up on th' Higherland yonder,
and I'll bet it was wuth two-and-twenty barrel of beer to owd Wat. A
murder's clean providential to a pub--"
"Damn, get out," vociferated the Colonel, "or I'll provide the murder and
you the corpse."
The meal, be it said, was thoroughly good in every way. I'm not the man
to despise my belly, and I don't hold with those that do. There are better
things in life than steak-and-kidney puddings, but my experience is they
want a lot of finding. The Colonel would not hear of any talk about our
affairs till supper was over. "I dare say you're all agog to know what
I've been doing and what we are going to do," he said to me. "That's
because you're a youngster at everything and a mere infant-in-arms at
soldiering.
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