When they came to any town or village, or even to a detached house of good appearance, Short blew a blast upon the brazen trumpet and carolled a fragment of a song in that hilarious tone common to Punches and their consorts.If people hurried to the windows, Mr Codlin pitched the temple, and hastily unfurling the drapery and concealing Short therewith, flourished hysterically on the pipes and performed an air.Then the entertainment began as soon as might be; Mr Codlin having the responsibility of deciding on its length and of protracting or expediting the time for the hero's final triumph over the enemy of mankind, according as he judged that the after-crop of half-pence would be plentiful or scant.When it had been gathered in to the last farthing, he resumed his load and on they went again.
Sometimes they played out the toll across a bridge or ferry, and once exhibited by particular desire at a turnpike, where the collector, being drunk in his solitude, paid down a shilling to have it to himself.There was one small place of rich promise in which their hopes were blighted, for a favourite character in the play having gold-lace upon his coat and being a meddling wooden-headed fellow was held to be a libel on the beadle, for which reason the authorities enforced a quick retreat; but they were generally well received, and seldom left a town without a troop of ragged children shouting at their heels.
They made a long day's journey, despite these interruptions, and were yet upon the road when the moon was shining in the sky.Short beguiled the time with songs and jests, and made the best of everything that happened.Mr Codlin on the other hand, cursed his fate, and all the hollow things of earth (but Punch especially), and limped along with the theatre on his back, a prey to the bitterest chagrin.
They had stopped to rest beneath a finger-post where four roads met, and Mr Codlin in his deep misanthropy had let down the drapery and seated himself in the bottom of the show, invisible to mortal eyes and disdainful of the company of his fellow creatures, when two monstrous shadows were seen stalking towards them from a turning in the road by which they had come.The child was at first quite terrified by the sight of these gaunt giants--for such they looked as they advanced with lofty strides beneath the shadow of the trees--but Short, telling her there was nothing to fear, blew a blast upon the trumpet, which was answered by a cheerful shout.
'It's Grinder's lot, an't it?' cried Mr Short in a loud key.
'Yes,' replied a couple of shrill voices.
'Come on then,' said Short.'Let's have a look at you.I thought it was you.'
Thus invited, 'Grinder's lot' approached with redoubled speed and soon came up with the little party.
Mr Grinder's company, familiarly termed a lot, consisted of a young gentleman and a young lady on stilts, and Mr Grinder himself, who used his natural legs for pedestrian purposes and carried at his back a drum.The public costume of the young people was of the Highland kind, but the night being damp and cold, the young gentleman wore over his kilt a man's pea jacket reaching to his ankles, and a glazed hat; the young lady too was muffled in an old cloth pelisse and had a handkerchief tied about her head.Their Scotch bonnets, ornamented with plumes of jet black feathers, Mr Grinder carried on his instrument.
'Bound for the races, I see,' said Mr Grinder coming up out of breath.'So are we.How are you, Short?' With that they shook hands in a very friendly manner.The young people being too high up for the ordinary salutations, saluted Short after their own fashion.
The young gentleman twisted up his right stilt and patted him on the shoulder, and the young lady rattled her tambourine.
'Practice?' said Short, pointing to the stilts.
'No,' returned Grinder.'It comes either to walkin' in 'em or carryin' of 'em, and they like walkin' in 'em best.It's wery pleasant for the prospects.Which road are you takin'? We go the nighest.'
'Why, the fact is,' said Short, 'that we are going the longest way, because then we could stop for the night, a mile and a half on.But three or four mile gained to-night is so many saved to-morrow, and if you keep on, I think our best way is to do the same.'
'Where's your partner?' inquired Grinder.
'Here he is,' cried Mr Thomas Codlin, presenting his head and face in the proscenium of the stage, and exhibiting an expression of countenance not often seen there; 'and he'll see his partner boiled alive before he'll go on to-night.That's what he says.'
'Well, don't say such things as them, in a spear which is dewoted to something pleasanter,' urged Short.'Respect associations, Tommy, even if you do cut up rough.'
'Rough or smooth,' said Mr Codlin, beating his hand on the little footboard where Punch, when suddenly struck with the symmetry of his legs and their capacity for silk stockings, is accustomed to exhibit them to popular admiration, 'rough or smooth, I won't go further than the mile and a half to-night.I put up at the Jolly Sandboys and nowhere else.If you like to come there, come there.
If you like to go on by yourself, go on by yourself, and do without me if you can.'
So saying, Mr Codlin disappeared from the scene and immediately presented himself outside the theatre, took it on his shoulders at a jerk, and made off with most remarkable agility.
Any further controversy being now out of the question, Short was fain to part with Mr Grinder and his pupils and to follow his morose companion.After lingering at the finger-post for a few minutes to see the stilts frisking away in the moonlight and the bearer of the drum toiling slowly after them, he blew a few notes upon the trumpet as a parting salute, and hastened with all speed to follow Mr Codlin.With this view he gave his unoccupied hand to Nell, and bidding her be of good cheer as they would soon be at the end of their journey for that night, and stimulating the old man with a similar assurance, led them at a pretty swift pace towards their destination, which he was the less unwilling to make for, as the moon was now overcast and the clouds were threatening rain.