anch of traffic into the heads of these thoughtful children, already
accustomed to gather heath for their father's brooms, and to collect the
dead furze which served as fuel to the family. After gaining permission
of the farmer who rented the wood, and ascertaining that we had no
objection, they set about making nosegays of the flowers, and collecting
the roots for sale, and actually stood two Saturdays in Belford market
(the smallest merchants of a surety that ever appeared in that rural
Exchange) to dispose of their wares; having obtained a cast in a waggon
there and back, and carrying home faithfully every penny of their
gainings, to deposit in the common stock.

The next year we lost sight of them. No smoke issued from the small
chimney by the hill-side. The hut itself was half demolished by wind and
weather; its tenants had emigrated to the new house on Squire Benson's
land; and after two or three attempts to understand and to follow the
directions as to the spot given us by the good farmer at Everley, we
were forced to give up the search.

Accident, the great discoverer and recoverer of lost goods, at last
restored to us these good little children. It happened as follows:--

In new potting some large hydrangeas, we were seized with a desire to
give the blue tinge to the petals, which so greatly improves the beauty
of that fine bold flower, and which is so desirable when they are
placed, as these were destined to be, in the midst of red and pink
blossoms, fuchsias, salvias, and geraniums. Accordingly, we sallied
forth to a place called the Moss, a wild tract of moorland lying about
a mile to the right of the road to Everley, and famous for the red bog,
produced, I presume, by chalybeate springs, which, when mixed with the
fine Bagshot silver sand, is so effectual in changing the colour of
flowers.

It was a bleak gusty day in February, raining by fits, but not with
sufficient violence to deter me from an expedition to which I had taken
a fancy. Putting up, therefore, the head and apron of the phaeton, and
followed by one lad (the shrewd boy Dick) on horseback, and another
(John, the steady gardening youth) in a cart laden with tubs and sacks,
spades and watering-pots, to procure and contain the bog mould, (for we
were prudently determined to provide for all emergencies, and to carry
with us fit receptacles to receive our treasure, whether it presented
itself in the form of red earth or of red mud,) our little pr