Farewell! I must depart; you have heard the proverb, 'those
who are bound must obey.' Young Jack, I presume, is squalling, and I
must either nurse him, rock the cradle, or sing comic tunes for him,
though heaven knows with what a disastrous heart I often sing, 'Begone
dull care,' the 'Rakes of Newcastle,' or 'Peas upon a Trencher.' Neal,
I say again, pause before you take this leap in the dark. Pause, Neal, I
entreat you. Farewell!"
Neal, however, was gifted with the heart of an Irishman, and scorned
caution as the characteristic of a coward; he had, as it appeared,
abandoned all design of fighting, but the courage still adhered to him
even in making love. He consequently conducted the siege of Biddy Neil's
heart with a degree of skill and valor which would not have come amiss
to Marshal Gerald at the siege of Antwerp. Locke or Dugald Stewart,
indeed, had they been cognizant of the tailor's triumph, might have
illustrated the principle on which he succeeded--as to ourselves, we
can only conjecture it. Our own opinion is, that they were both animated
with a congenial spirit. Biddy was the very pink of pugnacity, and
could throw in a body blow, or plant a facer, with singular energy
and science. Her prowess hitherto had, we confess, been displayed only
within the limited range of domestic life; but should she ever find
it necessary to exercise it upon a larger scale, there was no doubt
whatsoever, in the opinion of her mother, brothers, and sisters, every
one of whom she had successively subdued, that she must undoubtedly
distinguish herself.
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