The Salamanca Corpus: Yeoman Fleetwood (1900 ... - Gredos

The Salamanca Corpus: Yeoman Fleetwood (1900)
Simon reseated himself and finished his wine, drinking it, however, with a preoccupied
air.
“Pshaw!" cried old Renshaw, suddenly rising. "Come away, sir, come away. A man
might as well set you down to a dish of tea. 'Tis more than I can endure to see the way
you swallow that royal stuff. I will cast no more of my pearls before — Nay, Simon I
will not be rude, but, upon my life, sir, in some matters you might imitate our friend
yonder with advantage."
And with a declamatory air the good old man pointed to where Gifford lay under the
table.
[147]
CHAPTER XIII.
Where two fight
The strongest wins, and truth and love are strength. —Tennyson.
The hours of waiting passed slowly enough, but at length the evening was deemed
sufficiently dark for Simon to kidnap his unconscious kinsman. The servants were a-
bed, and no one was abroad in the quiet village street. Simon put his horse in the gig
himself, and brought it round to the door. The lawyer had been waiting anxiously on the
threshold, and now peered out into the night.
“The question is," he muttered, "how to get him in?"
"I’ll manage that," cried Simon, "if you will stand a moment by the horse."
He went into the house, stooped over Gifford, and seized him by the arm.
"Get up," he cried savagely. “Get up at once and come with me."
He hauled him to his feet and then dragged him to the street. Gifford, once on his legs,
was not altogether helpless, and was conveyed to the gig without any very great effort
on Simon's part; it was a more difficult matter to get him into it, but even this was
finally accomplished, thanks to Fleetwood's vigorous exertions and to the
persuasiveness of the lawyer.
"Don't let him fall out," cried the latter anxiously, as they drove away.