Faerie Queene.
The party mustered early the next morning to continue their journey,
and after breakfast L'Isle called for the innkeeper to pay him his
bill. This worthy, acting on the natural supposition that the English
had come into the country to indemnify the Portuguese for their losses
at the hands of the French, at once named the round sum of sixty
_crusados_. On L'Isle looking surprised, he began to run over so long
a list of articles furnished, and items of trouble given, that L'Isle,
who was annoyed at the interruption of an agreeable conversation with
Lady Mabel, was about to pay him in full to get rid of him, when
Shortridge peremptorily interfered. The demand was extortionate and
aroused his indignation. Perhaps he looked upon the fellow as usurping
a privilege belonging peculiarly to the commissary's own
brotherhood. He abused the man roundly in very bad Portuguese, and
insisted that L'Isle should pay him but half the sum.
The innkeeper, a dark, sallow man, with a vindictive countenance,
glared on him as if fear alone withheld him from replying with his
knife. When he found his tongue, he began to answer with a bitterness
that was fast changing into uncontrollable rage; but the commissary,
who was a master in the art of bullying, cut him short.
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