I said little or nothing, for my spirits had again become very low, and I was verily scared and afraid.  All of a sudden I thought of the ale which I had drank in the morning, and of the good it did me then, so I went into the bar, opened another bottle, took a glass, and felt better; so I took another, and feeling better still, I went back into the kitchen, just as Hunter and his crew were about leaving.  ’Mr. Hunter,’ said I, ’you and your people will please to pay me for what you have had?’ ‘What do you mean by my people?’ said he, with an oath.  ‘Ah, what do you mean by calling us his people?’ said the clan.  ‘We are nobody’s people;’ and then there was a pretty load of abuse, and threatening to serve me out.  ‘Well,’ said I, ’I was perhaps wrong to call them your people, and beg your pardon and theirs.  And now you will please to pay me for what you have had yourself, and afterwards I can settle with them.’  ’I shall pay you when I think fit,’ said Hunter.  ‘Yes,’ said the rest, ’and so shall we.  We shall pay you when we think fit.’  ‘I tell you what,’ said Hunter, ’I conceives I do such an old fool as you an honour when I comes into his house and drinks his beer, and goes away without paying for it;’ and then there was a roar of laughter from everybody, and almost all said the same thing.  ’Now do you please to pay me, Mr. Hunter?’ said I.  ‘Pay you!’ said Hunter; ’pay you!  Yes, here’s the pay;’ and thereupon he held out his thumb, twirling it round till it just touched my nose.  I can’t tell you what I felt that moment; a kind of madhouse thrill came upon me, and all I know is, that I bent back as far as I could, then lunging out, struck him under the ear, sending him reeling two or three yards, when he fell on the floor.  I wish you had but seen how my company looked at me and at each other.  One or two of the clan went to raise Hunter, and get him to fight, but it was no go; though he was not killed, he had had enough for that evening.  Oh, I wish you had seen my customers; those who did not belong to the clan, but who had taken part with them, and helped to jeer and flout me, now came and shook me by the hand, wishing me joy, and saying as, how ’I was a brave fellow, and had served the bully right!’ As for the clan, they all said Hunter was bound to do me justice; so they made him pay me what he owed for himself, and the reckoning of those among them who said they had no money.  Two or three of them then led him away, while the rest stayed behind, and flattered me, and worshipped me, and called Hunter all kinds of dogs’ names.  What do you think of that?”

“Why,” said I, “it makes good what I read in a letter which I received yesterday.  It is just the way of the world.”