I believe he carries it so far as to say that Noah, in the light of a progenitor, is inferior to Adam, owing to the shaking he had to endure in the ark, and which he conceives to have damaged the patriarch and the nervous systems of his sons.

It's a theory, you know.' 'They lived close on a thousand years, hale, hearty--and no water!' said the chairman.
'Well!' exclaimed one, some way down the table, a young farmer, red as a cock's comb: 'no fools they, eh, master?
Where there's ale, would you drink water, my hearty ?' and back he leaned to enjoy the tribute to his wit; a wit not remarkable, but nevertheless sufficient in the noise it created to excite the envy of Mr.Raikes, who, inveterately silly when not engaged in a contest, now began to play on the names of the sons of Noah.
The chairman lanced a keen light at him from beneath his bushy eyebrows.
Before long he had again to call two parties to order.

To Raikes, Laxley was a puppy: to Laxley, Mr.Raikes was a snob.

The antagonism was natural: ale did but put the match to the magazine.

But previous to an explosion, Laxley, who had observed Evan's disgust at Jack's exhibition of himself, and had been led to think, by his conduct and clothes in conjunction, that Evan was his own equal; a gentleman condescending to the society of a low-born acquaintance;--had sought with sundry propitiations, intelligent glances, light shrugs, and such like, to divide Evan from Jack.