olls and butter. The residue I suppose she spent in gin,
for she began to give me some of her Irish hugs; so much so, that I
wished myself at a greater distance. One of the boys cried out, "Ask for
the change--ask her for the change, or she will do you." At this
imputation Maggy got on her legs, and, seizing a large trencher,
tottered, or rather staggered, towards the boy, and exclaimed, "You
great big blackguard, you, do you want to rob me of my name? Take that,
and bad luck to you!" Here she hurled the trencher at him, but the
effort carried old Maggy off her legs, and she exhibited her gigantic
figure on the floor, to the amusement of all the barrack. I could not
help laughing heartily, though I found I had got among a queer set; when
the drum-major entering, and seeing his wife on the floor, vociferated,
"Get up, you old drunken hag; or, by St. Patrick! and that's no small
oath, but I'll pay you off." Here Maggy made an effort to rise, but the
drop had done her up; and I was obliged to give her a helping hand, and
she was put to bed, clothes and all.

[Illustration: SAXMUNDHAM CHURCH]

On the following morning I was taken to a barber's, and deprived of my
curly brown locks. My hair curled beautifully, but in a minute my poor
little head was nearly bald, except a small patch behind, which was
reserved for a future operation. I was then paraded to the tailor's
shop, and deprived of my new clothes--coat, leathers, and hat--for which
I received, in exchange, red jacket, red waistcoat, red pantaloons, and
red foraging-cap. The change, or metamorphosis, was so complete, that I
could hardly imagine it to be the same dapper little fellow. I was
exceedingly tall for a boy of ten years of age; but, notwithstanding
this, my clothes were much too large: my sleeves were two or three
inches over my hands, or rather longer than my fingers; and the whole
hung on me, to use a well-known expression, like a purser's shirt on a
hand-spike. My pride was humbled, my spirits drooped, and I followed the
drum-major, hanging my head like a felon going to the place of
execution. I cut such a queer figure, that all who met me turned round
and stared at me. At last, I mustered up courage enough to ask one
little chap what he was staring at, when he replied, "Ask my eye, Johnny
Raw;" at the same time adding his extended fingers and thumb to the
length of his nose. Passing some drummers on their way to practice, I
got finely roasted. "Twig the r