do. I never had anything to do with a woman in my life but I
ill-treated her, and she liked me the better."

"Mrs. Hall ought to be VERY fond of you then, sure enough!" said Mr.
Corporal.

"Very fond;--ha, ha! Corporal, you wag you--and so she IS very fond.
Yesterday, after the knife-and-beer scene--no wonder I threw the
liquor in her face: it was so dev'lish flat that no gentleman could
drink it: and I told her never to draw it till dinner-time--"

"Oh, it was enough to put an angel in a fury!" said Brock.

"Well, yesterday, after the knife business, when you had got the
carver out of her hand, off she flings to her bedroom, will not eat
a bit of dinner forsooth, and remains locked up for a couple of
hours. At two o'clock afternoon (I was over a tankard), out comes
the little she-devil, her face pale, her eyes bleared, and the tip
of her nose as red as fire with sniffling and weeping. Making for
my hand, 'Max,' says she, 'will you forgive me?' 'What!' says I.
'Forgive a murderess?' says I. 'No, curse me, never!' 'Your
cruelty will kill me,' sobbed she. 'Cruelty be hanged!' says I;
'didn't you draw that beer an hour before dinner?' She could say
nothing to THIS, you know, and I swore that every time she did so, I
would fling it into her face again. Whereupon back she flounced to
her chamber, where she wept and stormed until night-time."

"When you forgave her?"

"I DID forgive her, that's positive. You see I had supped at the