o was afeard his duds warn't dry. The nettrelized citizen of
Kennidy was telling stories, that kept the company in peals and roars of
laughter, about an applicant for a place in a paper mill, who was set to
chewing a blue blanket into pulp, who was given a bottle of vinegar to
sharpen his teeth with, and who was ignominiously expelled from the
premises because he didn't "chaw it dry"; about a bunting billy goat;
and a powerful team of oxen, that got beyond the control of their
barn-moving driver, and planted the barn on the top of an almost
inaccessible hill. Mr. Pawkins complimented the young women, and drew
wonderful depths of knowledge out of Sylvanus and Timotheus. But, when a
vehicle rolled into the stable yard that brought the constable and
Maguffin to join the party, the quondam American citizen waxed jubilant,
and beheld endless possibilities of amusement. "Good evenin',
consterble," said Mr. Pawkins, blandly.

"Good evening, sir, at your service," replied the pensioner.

"Pawkins is my naum, consterble, kyind er Scotch, I reckin. They say
pawky means sorter cute an' cunnin', like in Scotch. Never was thar
myself, to speak on, but hev seed 'em."

"The Scotch make good soldiers," said Mr Rigby.

"Yaas; I reckin the oatmeal sorter stiffens 'em up."

"There are military authorities who assert that the Scotch are the only
troops that can reform under fire; but that is a mistake. In that
respect, sir, the Guards are equal to any other Household Troops."

"Fer haousehold trooeps and reformin' under fire, you had orter ha seen
aour fellers at Bull Run. When the shooten' begun, all the Bowery plug
uglies, bred to cussin' and drinkin' and wuss, dropped ther guns and
fell on ther knees a reformin'; then, when they faound they couldn't
reform so suddent, they up on ther two feet and started fer the
haoushold. Eurrup ain't got nuthin' ter ekal aour haousehold trooeps."

"You mistake me, Mr. Pawkins; the Household Troops in infantry are the
Guards and Highlanders, whose special duty it is to guard the royal
household."

"Is it big?"

"Is what big, sir?"

"Why, the household! How many storeys is ther to it besides the attic
and basement? Hev it got a mansard?"

"The Household, sir, dwells in royal palaces of great dimensions. It is
the royal family and their attendants over whom the Guards watch."

"That's the Black Guards, ain't it?"

"No, sir; you are thinking of the Black Watch, a name of the
Forty-second H