Whether intentionally or not, the man had slipped back into his Staffordshire accent and dropped the strongest of his oaths, and Dick could not prevent a feeling of bitter amusement at seeing that this drunken ne'er-do-well, whom his uncle had persuaded to enlist in the hopes of drilling him into a decent life, had yielded to the influence of General Harrison's character just as he himself had done.  But Astbury had broken loose from the charm; he himself had remained obedient till death dissolved the spell.  Which of them had been the wiser--which was the better off?  The fellow maundered on, taking a drink at his replenished tankard now and then.