What would become of them were he to
turn them off?"
"Why, let them go to the hospital," said Dalgarno, "or to the bridge-
end, to sell switches. The king is a better man than my father, and
you see those who have served in HIS wars do so every day; or, when
their blue coats were well worn out, they would make rare scarecrows.
Here is a fellow, now, comes down the walk; the stoutest raven dared
not come within a yard of that copper nose. I tell you, there is more
service, as you will soon see, in my valet of the chamber, and such a
lither lad as my page Lutin, than there is in a score of these old
memorials of the Douglas wars, [Footnote: The cruel civil wars waged
by the Scottish barons during the minority of James VI., had the name
from the figure made in them by the celebrated James Douglas, Earl of
Morton. Both sides executed their prisoners without mercy or favour.]
where they cut each other's throats for the chance of finding twelve
pennies Scots on the person of the slain. Marry, my lord, to make
amends, they will eat mouldy victuals, and drink stale ale, as if
their bellies were puncheons.--But the dinner-bell is going to sound--
hark, it is clearing its rusty throat, with a preliminary jowl. That
is another clamorous relic of antiquity, that, were I master, should
soon be at the bottom of the Thames. How the foul fiend can it
interest the peasants and mechanics in the Strand, to know that the
Earl of Huntinglen is sitting down to dinner? But my father looks our
way--we must not be late for the grace, or we shall be in DIS-grace,
if you will forgive a quibble which would have made his Majesty laugh.
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