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Verbal wit had amused the multitude long enough, and they became more practical in their recreation. Every youth on the town was seized with the fierce desire of distinguishing himself, by knocking down the "charlies," being locked up all night in a watchhouse, or kicking up a row among loose women and blackguard men in the low dens of St. Giles's.
It was the watch who had been sitting up at the cathedral who gave the alarm. Paddy was taken from the top of the rick, and lodged in the watchhouse till morning. "Since I'm to be rewarded this way for doing a good action, sorrow take me," said he, "if they catch me doing another the longest day ever I live." Happy they who have in their neighbourhood such a magistrate as Mr. Marshal!
After talking for some time with the esaul about next day's attack, which now, seeing how near they were to the French, he seemed to have definitely decided on, Denisov turned his horse and rode back. "Now, my lad, we'll go and get dwy," he said to Petya. As they approached the watchhouse Denisov stopped, peering into the forest.
"Which," interrupted the elder watchman, "consists in taking this hulking swaggerer to the watchhouse."
"But why are you angry?" remonstrated Tikhon, "just as if I'd never seen your Frenchmen! Only wait till it gets dark and I'll fetch you any of them you want three if you like." "Well, let's go," said Denisov, and rode all the way to the watchhouse in silence and frowning angrily.
In the passage of the small watchhouse a Cossack with sleeves rolled up was chopping some mutton. In the room three officers of Denisov's band were converting a door into a tabletop. Petya took off his wet clothes, gave them to be dried, and at once began helping the officers to fix up the dinner table. In ten minutes the table was ready and a napkin spread on it.
And when I comes in, I sees a man hand a note for change to the landlady, and she gives him change. `That won't do, says he, and he was half tipsy: `I gave you a ten-pound note, and this here lad be witness. `It was only a one, says the woman. `You're a damned old cheat, says he, `and if you don't give me the change, I'll set your house on fire, and burn you alive. With that there was a great row, and he goes out for the constable and gives her in charge, and gives me in charge as a witness, and then she gives him in charge, and so we all went to the watchhouse together, and slept on the benches.
Many a black eye and broken head attested the vigor of his arm; but the glory of his achievements did not screen him from being borne to the watchhouse, nor did his valor prevent the magistrate in the morning from inflicting upon him a very decent fine, which drew from him the indignant remark that "'Tis a great country, any how, where a man can't have a ginteel bit of a fight without paying for it!"
He passed his nights sometimes in a stall in the markets, sometimes in an empty hogshead on the piers, sometimes in a doorway, and once in the watchhouse, from which he escaped the next morning, running as he told me, right between the doorkeeper's legs, when he was taking another vagrant to task for repeatedly throwing himself upon the public charities.
"Which," interrupted the elder watchman, "consists in taking this hulking swaggerer to the watchhouse."
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