anagement of a house; it really was quite a
pleasure to hear my poor mother lecture the servants; and the men were
men indeed. Pray, did you ever hear the story of father's being at
Truro, and throwing the famous Cornish wrestler, _squinting Dick_ the
miner?"

Mr Merton began to be convinced that, whatever other qualities good Mr
Sandford might have, he did not excel in brevity, and therefore
endeavoured in still stronger terms to overcome the delicacy of the
farmer, and prevail upon him to accept his present.

But the good farmer pursued his point thus: "Thank you, thank you, my
dear sir, a thousand times for your goodwill; but, as to the money, I
must beg your pardon if I persist in refusing it. Formerly, sir, as I
was saying, we were all happy and healthy, and our affairs prospered,
because we never thought about the conveniences of life; now, I hear of
nothing else. One neighbour (for I will not mention names) brings his
son up to go a-shooting with gentlemen; another sends his to market upon
a blood-horse with a plated bridle; and then the girls--the girls; there
is fine work indeed!--they must have their hats and feathers and riding
habits; their heads as big as bushels, and even their hind-quarters
stuck out with cork or pasteboard; but scarcely one of them can milk a
cow, or churn, or bake, or do any one thing that is necessary in a
family; so that, unless the government will send them all to this new
settlement, which I have heard so much of, and bring us a cargo of
plain, honest housewives, who have never been at boarding-schools, I
cannot conceive how we farmers are to get wives."

Mr Merton laughed very heartily at this sally, and told him that he
would venture to assert it was not so at _his_ house. "Not quite so bad
indeed," said the farmer; "my wife was bred up under a notable mother,
and though she must have her tea every afternoon, is, in the main, a
very good sort of woman. She has brought her daughters up a little
better than usual, but I can assure you she and I have had many a good
argument on the subject. Not but she approves their milking, spinning,
and making themselves useful, but she would fain have them genteel,
Master Merton; all women now are mad after gentility; and, when once
_gentility_ begins, there is an end of _industry_. Now, were they to
hear of such a sum as you have generously offered, there would be no
peace in the house. My wenches instead of _Deb_ and _Kate_, would be
_Miss D