He next threw down the bear skins,
with the empty sack under them, in an unoccupied corner; propped up the
leather bag between two angles of the wall; took his pipe from the
floor; left everything else lying in the middle of the room; and,
sitting down on the bearskins with his back against the bag, told the
astonished landlord that he was quite settled and comfortable, and
would thank him to go down stairs, and send up a pound of the strongest
tobacco he had in the shop.
Mat's subsequent proceedings during the rest of the day--especially
such as were connected with his method of laying in a stock of
provisions, and cooking his own dinner--exhibited the same
extraordinary disregard of all civilized precedent which had marked his
first entry into the lodgings. After he had dined, he took a nap on his
bear skins; woke up grumbling at the close air and the confined room;
smoked a long series of pipes, looking out of window all the time with
quietly observant, constantly attentive eyes; and, finally, rising to
the climax of all his previous oddities, came down when the tobacco
shop was being shut up after the closing of the neighboring theater,
and coolly asked which was his nearest way into the country, as he
wanted to clear his head, and stretch his legs, by making a walking
night of it in the fresh air.
Pages:
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327