linen, sat down to needlework. At twelve o'clock
her husband and son returned; so moving her table out of the way, she
made room for them at the fire, and, fetching the frying pan, dressed
some rashers of the nice bacon we had before tasted in the cupboard. The
boy, in the mean time, spread a cloth on the table, and placed the bread
and cold pudding on it likewise: then, returning to the closet for their
plates, he cried out, 'Lauk! father, here is a nice hunch of plum-cake;
can you tell how it came?' 'Not I, indeed, Tom,' replied his father; 'I
can tell no more than the carp at the bottom of the squire's fish-pond.'
'Oh, I will tell you.' said Mrs. Flood; 'I know how it came. Do you
know, that dear child, Master George Kendall, brought it for me; he
called as he went to school this morning. I told him I would not have
it; but the dear little soul popped it into the cupboard, and ran away
without it. Bless his little heart! I do think he is the sweetest child
that ever was born. You may laugh at me for saying so; but I am sure I
should have thought the same if I had not nursed him myself.' 'Indeed,'
replied her husband, 'I do not laugh at you for saying so, for I think
so too, and so must everyone who knows him; for when young gentlemen
behave as he does, everybody must love and admire them. There is nothing
I would not do to help and serve that child, or any of his family; they
always are so kind, and speak as civilly to us poor folk as if we were
the first lords or ladies in the land. I am sure, if it were needful, I
would go through fire and water for their sakes; and so would every man
in the parish, I dare say. But I wonder who would do as much to help
Squire Stately or any of his family, if it was not that I should think
it my duty (and an honest man ought always to do that, whether he likes
it or not); but I say, if it was not that it would be my duty to help my
fellow-creature, I would scarcely be at the trouble of stepping over the
threshold to serve them, they are such a set of cross, good-for-nothing
gentry. I declare, it was but as we came home to dinner now, that we saw
Master Sam throwing sticks and stones at Dame Frugal's ducks, for the
sake of seeing them waddle; and then, when they got to the pond, he sent
his dog in after them to bark and frighten them out of their wits. And
as I came by, nothing would serve him but throwing a great dab of mud
all over the sleeve of my coat. So I said, "Why, Master Sam,