Page:Orley Farm (Serial Volume 3).pdf/22

72 room, and there was silence for a while, during which the bottles made their round of the table.

'Hadn't we better send back the pint of wine which Mr. Dockwrath hasn't used?' suggested Kantwise.

'I'm d if we do!' replied Moulder, with much energy; and the general silence was not again broken till Mr. Crump made his appearance; but the chairman whispered a private word or two to his friend Snengkeld. 'I never sent back ordered liquor to the bar yet, unless it was bad; and I'm not going to begin now.'

And then Mr. Crump came in. Mr. Crump was a very clean-looking person, without any beard; and dressed from head to foot in black. He was about fifty, with grizzly gray hair, which stood upright on his head, and his face at the present moment wore on it an innkeeper's smile. But it could also assume an innkeeper's frown, and on occasions did so—when bills were disputed, or unreasonable strangers thought that they knew the distance in posting miles round the neighbourhood of Leeds better than did he, Mr. Crump, who had lived at the Bull Inn all his life. But Mr. Crump rarely frowned on commercial gentleman, from whom was derived the main stay of his business and the main prop of his house.

'Mr. Crump,' began Moulder, 'here has occurred a very unpleasant transaction.'

'I know all about it, gentlemen,' said Mr. Crump. 'The waiter has acquainted me, and I can assure you, gentlemen, that I am extremely sorry that anything should have arisen to disturb the harmony of your dinner-table.'

'We must now call upon you, Mr. Crump,' began Mr. Moulder, who was about to demand that Dockwrath should be turned bodily out of the room.

'If you'll allow me one moment, Mr. Moulder,' continued Mr. Crump, 'and I'll tell you what is my suggestion. The gentleman here, who I understand is a lawyer, does not wish to comply with the rules of the commercial room.'

'I certainly don't wish or intend to pay for drink that I didn't order and haven't had,' said Dockwrath.

'Exactly,' said Mr. Crump. 'And therefore, gentlemen, to get out of the difficulty, we'll presume, if you please, that the bill is paid.'

'The lawyer, as you call him, will have to leave the room,' said Moulder.

'Perhaps he will not object to step over to the coffee-room on the other side,' suggested the landlord.

'I can't think of leaving my seat here under such circumstances,' said Dockwrath.

'You can't,' said Moulder. 'Then you must be made, as I take it.'