Group Shares Dinner, Curate Departs
When dinner is ready, Roderick wakes Strap, and they eat together with the company in great cheerfulness. After the meal, when the reckoning is settled, the curate excuses himself and departs on horseback, leaving the two farmers to satisfy the host as best they can.
Exciseman Exposes Curate Shuffle’s Cheating and Past
The exciseman, who had been silent until now, reveals that Shuffle’s trick of departing without paying is well known. He explains that Shuffle acquired scraps of learning while serving young Lord Trifte at university, excels at pimping, and was dismissed for pawning his lordship’s clothes. The exciseman, who had been valet-de-chambre to Squire Tattle, helped secure Shuffle’s ordination and curacy in exchange for his silence about the lord’s conduct. The exciseman admits that Shuffle is a devilish cheat who shifts cards with impossible skill.
Landlord Comments on Exciseman and Curate Shuffle
When the exciseman departs after paying his own reckoning, the landlord shakes his head and comments that not every sinner receives their deserts. He observes that victuallers must not displease excisemen and suggests that if Parrot Shuffle and the exciseman were weighed together, adding a straw to either scale would tip the balance. He adds that this conversation is “under the rose,” meaning it should be kept confidential.
第十章
Chapter X chronicles the capture and escape of the highwayman Rifle, the subsequent detention of Roderick and Strap as witnesses, and their continued journey through various lodgings where they encounter a nighttime disturbance and a classically-educated schoolmaster whose hospitality comes with an unexpectedly steep bill.
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