Then there was a loud clapping of hands, and mugs and tankards made a rattling music upon the tables to the accompaniment of loud laughter at nothing in particular, and of Mr.Jellyband's muttered exclamations: "Just fancy ME bein' talked over by any God-forsaken furriner!--What ?--Lud love you, sir, but you do say some queer things." To which obvious fact the stranger heartily assented.

It was certainly a preposterous suggestion that anyone could ever upset Mr.Jellyband's firmly-rooted opinions anent the utter worthlessness of the inhabitants of the whole continent of Europe..