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The Provost-Part17_John Galt(1779-1839)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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held. It reflected down, as it were, upon themselves a glaik of the



sunshine that shone upon us; and although it may be a light thing,

as it is seemingly a vain one, to me to say, I am now pretty much of



Mrs Pawkie's opinion, that our cultivation of an intercourse with

the country gentry was, in the end, a benefit to our family, in so



far as it obtained, both for my sons and daughters, a degree of

countenance that otherwise could hardly have been expected from



their connexions and fortune, even though I had been twice provost.

CHAPTER XXXVI--RETRIBUTION



But a sad accident shortly after happened, which had the effect of

making it as little pleasant to me to vex Mr Hickery with a joke



about the Tappit-hen, as it was to him. Widow Fenton, as I have

soberly hinted; for it is not a subject to be openlyspoken of, had



many ill-assorted and irregular characters among her customers; and

a gang of play-actors coming to the town, and getting leave to



perform in Mr Dribble's barn, batches of the young lads, both gentle

and semple, when the play was over, used to adjourn to her house for



pies and porter, the commodities in which she chiefly dealt. One

night, when the deep tragedy of Mary Queen of Scots was the play,



there was a great concourse of people at "The Theatre Royal," and

the consequence was, that the Tappit-hen's house, both but and ben,



was, at the conclusion, filled to overflowing.

The actress that played Queen Elizabeth, was a little-worth



termagant woman, and, in addition to other laxities of conduct, was

addicted to the immorality of taking more than did her good, and



when in her cups, she would rant and ring fiercer than old Queen

Elizabeth ever could do herself. Queen Mary's part was done by a



bonny genty young lady, that was said to have run away from a

boarding-school, and, by all accounts, she acted wonderful well.



But she too was not altogether without a flaw, so that there was a

division in the town between their admirers and visiters; some



maintaining, as I was told, that Mrs Beaufort, if she would keep

herself sober, was not only a finer woman, but more of a lady, and a



better actress, than Miss Scarborough, while others considered her

as a vulgar regimental virago.



The play of Mary Queen of Scots, causing a great congregation of the

rival partizans of the two ladies to meet in the Tappit-hen's



public, some contention took place about the merits of their

respective favourites, and, from less to more, hands were raised,



and blows given, and the trades'-lads, being as hot in their

differences as the gentlemen, a dreadful riot ensued. Gillstoups,



porter bottles, and penny pies flew like balls and bomb-shells in

battle. Mrs Fenton, with her mutch off, and her hair loose, with



wide and wild arms, like a witch in a whirlwind, was seen trying to

sunder the challengers, and the champions. Finding, however, her



endeavours unavailing, and fearing that murder would be committed,

she ran like desperation into the streets, crying for help. I was



just at the time stepping into my bed, when I heard the uproar, and,

dressing myself again, I went out to the street; for the sound and



din of the riot came raging through the silence of the midnight,

like the tearing and swearing of the multitude at a house on fire,



and I thought no less an accident could be the cause.

On going into the street, I met several persons running to the scene



of action, and, among others, Mrs Beaufort, with a gallant of her

own, and both of them no in their sober senses. It's no for me to



say who he was; but assuredly, had the woman no been doited with

drink, she never would have seen any likeness between him and me,



for he was more than twenty years my junior. However, onward we all

ran to Mrs Fenton's house, where the riot, like a raging caldron



boiling o'er, had overflowed into the street.

The moment I reached the door, I ran forward with my stick raised,



but not with any design of striking man, woman, or child, when a

ramplor devil, the young laird of Swinton, who was one of the most



outstrapolous rakes about the town, wrenched it out of my grip, and

would have, I dare say, made no scruple of doing me some dreadful



bodily harm, when suddenly I found myself pulled out of the crowd by

a powerful-handed woman, who cried, "Come, my love; love, come:" and






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