CHAPTER XXVI

AND THE DREGS OF THE SAME

V|R. ANTHONY CLARE stayed behind to help our
-'^"^ hero home to bed. His effort to achieve sobriety
had completely exhausted such faculties as remained
after so many quarts of Burgundy, and he babbled
to his companion foolish threats and impotent defiance
in such an incoherent voice that I doubt his enemy,
had he been present, would scarcely have been able
to discover common sense in any one of his remarks.
Charles woke up in the morning full of bile, dressed
himself in a splenetick fury and ate a breakfast, con-
spicuous for its peppery flavours, with petulance and
aversion. Then he crammed his gold-laced Keven-
huller hat on his head and went out to interview Mr.
Horace Ripple.
In crossing the courtyard of the inn he passed Mr.
Chalkley, and for a moment debated seriously the
wisdom of challenging him out of hand. This he was
the more inclined to do because he fancied the gallant
Ensign was regarding him with some disfavour. How-
ever, the latter gave him a ' good morning,' and
excused his want of geniality on the score of a liver
teased out of endurance by hard and violent exercise.
So Charles forgave him his supposed breach of
good manners and decided to hear from Tony a full
account of the evening's events.
Clare presently overtook him under the archway, and,
on being informed of our hero's destination, tried to
dissuade him from the projected visit to the Beau.
266



AND THE DREGS OF THE SAME 267

-ds! I tell you that blackguard shall be turned



out of the Wells with ignominy." So much Charles
vowed.
" But 'tis no business of yours, Charles," argued his
friend.
