"Well, sir," said Dan, with the usual impulse of the British workman,
"is there any sort of work as you could find for me, to earn my own
living, and be able to think afterwards?"
"There is work of a noble kind, such as any man of high nature may be
proud to share in, to which it is possible that I might get an entrance
for you, if there should be a vacancy; work of high character, such as
admits of no higgling and haggling, and splitting of halfpence, but an
independent feeling, and a sense of advancing the liberty of mankind,
without risking a penny, but putting many guineas into one's own pocket,
and so becoming fitted for a loftier line of life."
"Is it smuggling, sir?" Daniel asked, with sore misgivings, for he had
been brought up to be very shy of that. "Many folk consider that quite
honest; but father calls it roguery--though I never shall hear any more
of his opinions now."
"Sigh not, friend Daniel; sigh not so heavily at your own emancipation."
Carne never could resist the chance of a little bit of sarcasm, though
it often injured his own plots. "Smuggling is a very fine pursuit, no
doubt, but petty in comparison with large affairs like ours. No, Dan
Tugwell, I am not a smuggler, but a high politician, and a polisher of
mankind. How soon do you think of leaving this outrageous hole?"
Despite the stupid outrage upon himself, Dan was too loyal and generous
of nature to be pleased with this description of his native place.
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