offering her some clothes to wear. 'How could I know that a
fashionable lady like you would appear in such rags?' she cried.'If
I had suspected that my lady was my lady, I would have burned
my tongue out before I said what I said.'
Tom begged Mrs Waters to forgive the landlady and to accept
her clothes, and the two women went upstairs. Partridge soon
came back, the landlord brought in beer and perfect calm
returned to the kitchen.
Chapter 13 An Inn's Reputation is Put at Risk
Tom had not eaten for twenty-four hours, so when Mrs Waters
invited him to have dinner with her in her room, he was happy
to accept. While three pounds of meat which were once part of
an animal now became part of Tom, Mrs Waters watched him
with other things on her mind.
Now Tom was really one of the handsomest young men in the
world. His face was the picture of health, with signs of sweetness
and good nature which were noticed by everyone who saw him.
He was strong, active, gentle and good-tempered, and people
enjoyed his cheerful company.
Mrs Waters saw all this, and formed a very good opinion of
him. In fact she had fallen in love with Tom, and she wanted him
to know it. How could she show him?
First she shot sharp looks from her two lovely blue eyes, but
these only hit a piece of meat which Tom was then putting on his
plate. Then a heavy sigh lifted her fair breasts, but its sweet sound
was lost as he opened a bottle of beer. Many other tricks were
tried, but while our hero was eating, hunger defended him
against love.
When dinner was over, the attack began again with a smile
which showed more than just pretty white teeth. This smile our