You'll find hot water on the table yonder,' pointing to the far
corner of the room, where the outline of a jug might just be descried;
'there's a bell in the bed if you want anything; and dinner will be ready
as soon as you are dressed. You needn't make yourself very fine,' added he,
as he retired; 'for we are only ourselves: hope we shall have some of our
neighbours to-morrow or next day, but we are rather badly off for
neighbours just here--at least, for short-notice neighbours.' So saying, he
disappeared through the dark doorway.
The latter statement was true enough, for Jawleyford, though apparently
such a fine open-hearted, sociable sort of man, was in reality a very
quarrelsome, troublesome fellow. He quarrelled with all his neighbours in
succession, generally getting through them every two or three years; and
his acquaintance were divided into two classes--the best and the worst
fellows under the sun. A stranger revising Jawleyford after an absence of a
year or two, would very likely find the best fellows of former days
transformed into the worst ones of that.
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