use of my porochial office, with a meaning of a joke on my parenshal
name. Ah, what a merry one she were! And now this is what I has to do
for her! And sooner would I 'a doed it a'most for my own old ooman!"

"Oh, Jacob!" I cried, being horrified at the way in which he tore up the
ground, as if his wife was waiting, "the things you say are quite wrong,
I am sure, for a man in your position. You are connected with this
church almost as much as the clerk is."

"More, miss, ten times more! He don't do nothing but lounge on the front
of his desk, and be too lazy to keep up 'Amen,' while I at my time of
life go about, from Absolution to the fifth Lord's prayer, with a stick
that makes my rheumatics worse, for the sake of the boys with their
pocket full of nuts. When I was a boy there was no nuts, except at the
proper time of year, a month or two on from this time of speaking; and
we used to crack they in the husk, and make no noise to disturb the
congregation; but now it is nuts, nuts, round nuts, flat nuts, nuts with
three corners to them--all the year round nuts to crack, and me to find
out who did it!"

"But, Mr. Rigg," I replied, as he stopped, looking hotter in mind than
in body, "is it not Mrs. Rigg, your good wife, who sells all the nuts on
a Saturday for the boys to crack on a Sunday?"

"My missus do sell some, to be sure; yes, just a few. But not of a
Saturday more than any other day."

"Then surely, Mr. Rigg, you might stop it, by not permitting any sale
of nuts except to good boys of high principles. And has it not happened
sometimes, Mr. Rigg, that boys have made marks on their nuts, and bought
them again at your shop on a Monday? I mean, of course, when your duty
has compelled you to empty the pockets of a boy in church."

Now this was a particle of shamefully small gossip, picked up naturally
by my Betsy, but pledged to go no further; and as soon as I had spoken
I became a little nervous, having it suddenly brought to my mind that I
had promised not even to whisper it; and now I had told it to the man of
all men! But Jacob appeared to have been quite deaf, and diligently went
on digging. And I said "good-evening," for the grave was for the morrow;
and he let me go nearly to the stile before he stuck his spade into the
ground and followed.

"Excoose of my making use," he said, "of a kind of a personal reference,
miss; but you be that pat with your answers, it maketh me believe you
must be sharp inside--mo