f you do not botanise, for I cannot endure
that cursed stooping and mountain-climbing." On learning that the walk
was only to the neighbouring market-town, he took leave, rejoiced to
have an opportunity of accompanying his gossip.

"Look you, dear cousin," commenced the old dame, immediately again,
"that great herculus is also the cause, that my old man will not be
anything as long as he lives. He seduces him fearfully to idleness,
because he himself has nothing to do. He has been formerly a dreampeter
in the royal guards, but as he was weak at the chest, he obtained his
discharge and a pension, and with a small fortune, he plays the
nobleman here, and gives himself such intolerable airs, that he
addresses almost every body with familiarity. He was so enamoured with
blowing, that they were obliged to pull the dreampet forcibly out of
his mouth, for he is phthisical, properly hictical, as my old man calls
it, for he looks wicked enough for it. Now the great beast stalks about
here, and no one can bear him, because he is so very haughty and
moreover wearisome and quite ennuiyant when he speaks of his
forefathers. My good calf, however, will suit him, he might easily
speak and listen to him in his leisure hours, and often may be thinking
of other things at the same time; but this is not the case, he has
nothing to think of, and is delighted when the bully goes on with his
gasconading to him. Only think, cousin, because he is not permitted to
blow any more, he whistles, or lisps a little with his tongue all his
old dreampeter airs for hours together into my husband's ears; when he
tells of campaigns, at times, with his mouth screwed up, he imitates
the sounds of appelle, and retreat, the attack, every thing; or he
beats it with his long stork-fingers on the table, which then is to
represent the dulcimer or the harpichord, and thus does he play the
harpichord as it is called before my old husband the live-long day and
he talks of x sharp and z soft, and crosses and stories of fughes and
passages, such gibberdish, that one might loose one's senses, looking
at these two fools wasting their time. The lanky fellow frequently
assists in searching, for herbs, and makes out of old rags a lineament
for wounds, or cooks a mixture, and syrup quackery, and as they are
almost always together, he seduces my old husband away from me. They
will no longer suffer the long Urian in the public-house, because he
drives away all the guests with