On my return the
waiters (who, from my appearance, too probably expected but a
trifling reward for their attentions to me) received me gruffly, and
as if they were sorry to see me again.
This was not all; I had the
additional mortification to be again roughly accosted by the cross
maid who had before shown me to the bed-chamber, and who, dropping a
kind of half courtesy, with a suppressed laugh, sneeringly told me I
might look out for another lodging, as I could not sleep there,
since the room she had by mistake shown me was already engaged. It
can hardly be necessary to tell you that I loudly protested against
this sudden change. At length the landlord came, and I appealed to
him; and he with great courtesy immediately desired another room to
be shown me, in which, however, there were two beds, so that I was
obliged to admit a companion. Thus was I very near being a second
time turned out of an inn.
Directly under my room was the tap-room, from which I could plainly
hear too much of the conversation of some low people, who were
drinking and singing songs, in which, as far as I could understand
them, there were many passages at least as vulgar and nonsensical as
ours.
This company, I guessed, consisted chiefly of soldiers and low
fellows. I was hardly well lulled to sleep by this hurly-burly,
when my chum (probably one of the drinking party below) came
stumbling into the room and against my bed.
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