’Twas a pity.
“No,” he boasted, defiantly; “nor none o’ them wise ol’ bullies of old!”
I sighed.
“Dannie,” says he, with the air of imparting a grateful secret, “I got that there black-an’-white young parson corrupted. I got un,” he repeated, leaning forward, his fantastic countenance alight with pride and satisfaction––“I got un corrupted! I’ve got un t’ say,” says he, “that ’tis sometimes wise t’ do evil that good may come. An’ when a young feller says that,” says he, with a grave, grave nodding, so that his disfigurements were all most curiously elongated, “he’ve sold his poor, mean soul t’ the devil.”
“I wisht,” I complained, “that you’d leave the poor man alone.”
“Why, Dannie,” says my uncle, simply, “he’s paid for!”
“Paid for!” cries I.
“Ay, lad,” he chided; “t’ be sure, that there young black-an’-white parson is paid for.”
I wondered how that might be.