第65章

’Now，CarverDoone，takewarning，’Isaidtohim，verysoberly；’youhaveshownyourselfafoolbyyourcontemptofme。Imaynotbeyourmatchincraft；butIaminmanhood。Youareadespicablevillain。Lielowinyournativemuck。’

Andwiththatword，Ilaidhimflatuponhisbackinourstraw-yard，byatrickoftheinnerheel，whichhecouldnothaveresisted(thoughhisstrengthhadbeentwiceasgreatasmine)，unlesshewereawrestler。

Seeinghimdowntheothersran，thoughoneofthemmadeashotatme，andsomeofthemgottheirhorses，beforeourmencameup；andsomewentawaywithoutthem。AndamongtheselastwasCaptainCarverwhoarose，whileI

wasfeelingmyself(forIhadalittlewound)，andstrodeawaywithatrainofcursesenoughtopoisonthelightofthemoon。

Wegainedsixverygoodhorses，bythisattemptedrapine，aswellastwoyoungprisoners，whomIhadsmittenbytheclover-rick。AndtwodeadDooneswereleftbehind，whom(asweburiedtheminthechurchyard，withoutanyserviceoverthem)，IformypartwasmostthankfulthatIhadnotkilled。Fortohavethelifeofafellow-manlaiduponone’sconscience——deservedhehisdeath，ordeserveditnot——istomysenseofrightandwrongtheheaviestofallburdens；andtheonethatwearsmostdeeplyinwards，withthedwellingofthemindonthisviewandonthatofit。

Iwasinclinedtopursuetheenemyandtrytocapturemoreofthem；butJeremyStickleswouldnotallowit，forhesaidthatalltheadvantagewouldbeupontheirside，ifwewenthurryingafterthem，withonlythemoontoguideus。Andwhocouldtellbutwhattheremightbeanotherbandofthem，readytofalluponthehouse，andburnit，andseizethewomen，ifweleftthemunprotected？Whenheputthecasethus，Iwasgladenoughtoabidebyhisdecision。Andonethingwasquitecertain，thattheDooneshadneverbeforereceivedsorudeashock，andsoviolentablowtotheirsupremacy，sincefirsttheyhadbuiltuptheirpower，andbecometheLordsofExmoor。IknewthatCarverDoonewouldgnashthosemightyteethofhis，andcursethemenaroundhim，fortheblunder(whichwasintruthhisown)ofover-confidenceandcarelessness。

Andatthesametime，alltherestwouldfeelthatsuchathinghadneverhappened，whileoldSirEnsorwasalive；andthatitwascausedbynothingshortofgrossmismanagement。

Iscarcelyknowwhomadethegreatestfussaboutmylittlewound，mother，orAnnie，orLorna。Iwasheartilyashamedtobesotreatedlikeamilksop；butmostunluckilyithadbeenimpossibletohideit。Fortheballhadcutalongmytemple，justabovetheeyebrow；andbeingfiredsonearathand，thepowdertoohadscarredme。Thereforeitseemedagreatdealworsethanitreallywas；andthesponging，andtheplastering，andthesobbing，andthemoaning，mademequiteashamedtolookMasterSticklesintheface。

However，atlastIpersuadedthemthatIhadnointentionofgivinguptheghostthatnight；andthentheyallfellto，andthankedGodwithanemphasisquiteunknowninchurch。AndhereuponMasterSticklessaid，inhisfreeandeasymanner(fornoonecourtedhisobservation)，thatIwastheluckiestofallmortalsinhavingamother，andasister，andasweetheart，tomakemuchofme。Forhispart，hesaid，hewasjustaswelloffinnothavinganytocareforhim。Fornowhemightgoandgetshot，orstabbed，orknockedonthehead，athispleasure，withoutanyonebeingoffended。Imadebold，uponthis，toaskhimwhatwasbecomeofhiswife；forIhadheardhimspeakofhavingone。Hesaidthatheneitherknewnorcared；andperhapsIshouldbelikehimsomeday。ThatLornashouldhearsuchsentimentswasverygrievoustome。Butshelookedatmewithasmile，whichprovedhercontemptforallsuchideas；andlestanythingstillmoreunfitmightbesaid，Idismissedthequestion。

ButMasterSticklestoldmeafterwards，whentherewasnoonewithus，tohavenofaithinanywoman，whatevershemightseemtobe。Forheassuredmethatnowhepossessedverylargeexperience，forsosmallamatter；

beingthoroughlyacquaintedwithwomenofeveryclass，fromladiesofthehighestblood，toBonarobas，andpeasants’wives：andthattheyallmightbedividedintothreeheadsandnomore；thatistosayasfollows。First，theveryhotandpassionate，whowereonlycontemptible；second，thecoldandindifferent，whoweresimplyodious；andthird，themixtureoftheothertwo，whohadthebadqualitiesofboth。Asforreason，noneofthemhadit；itwaslikeasealedbooktothem，whichiftheyevertriedtoopen，theybeganatthebackofthecover。

NowIdidnotliketohearsuchthings；andtometheyappearedtobeinsolent，aswellasnarrow-minded。Forifyoucametothat，whymightnotmen，aswellaswomen，bedividedintothesamethreeclasses，andbepronounceduponbywomen，asbeingsevenmoredevoidthantheirgentlejudgesofreason？Moreover，Iknew，bothfrommyownsense，andfromthegreatestofallgreatpoets，thatthereare，andalwayshavebeen，plentyofwomen，good，andgentle，warm-hearted，loving，andlovable；verykeen，moreover，atseeingtheright，beitbyreason，orotherwise。Anduponthewhole，Ipreferthemmuchtothepeopleofmyownsex，a