A little less, and he might have convinced some that what he said was true; but when he talked such palpable nonsense as that of the Captain having arranged the whole scene which Pledge himself had got up, the meeting took his whole tirade for what it was worth, and received it in mocking silence.
Freckleton, to the relief of everybody, got up and said-- "I did think we might be spared quite such a ridiculous speech as that to which we have just listened.

However, I have nothing to say about its comic side.

What I want to say is this.

It is perfectly true Mansfield had a spite against Pledge.

So had I; _so_ had Cresswell.