There was a look from his
eyes of most vacant and elevated beatitude; a simper sat upon his lips,
which parted ineffectually with the speech that he endeavored to make. A
still lingering consciousness of something to be done, prompted him to
rise, however, and stumble toward the landlord, who, while scuffling
with the jailer, thus addressed him:--
"Why, Bunce, it's but half done!--you've bungled. See, he's too sober by
half!"
"Sober? no, no--guess he's drunk--drunk as a gentleman. I say, now--what
must I do?"
"Do?" muttered the landlord, between his teeth, and pointing to Tongs,
who reeled and raved in his seat, "do as I do!" And, at the word, with a
single blow of his fist, he felled the still refractory jailer with as
much ease as if he had been an infant in his hands. The pedler, only
half conscious, turned nevertheless to the half-sleeping Tongs, and
resolutely drove his fist into his face.
It was at that moment that the nostrum, having taken its full effect,
deprived him of the proper force which alone could have made the blow
available for the design which he had manfully enough undertaken.
Pages:
799
800
801
802
803
804
805
806
807
808
809
810
811
812
813
814
815
816
817
818
819
820
821
822
823