ever, always plenty to do, I at last got the better of
my affliction. I continued single till my English family grew up and
left me, when, feeling myself rather lonely, I married a decent young
Welshwoman, by whom I had one son, the lad John who is following behind
with his dog Joe. And now your honour knows the whole story of John
Greaves, miner from the county of Durham."

"And a most entertaining and instructive history it is," said I. "You
have not told me, however, how you contrived to pick up Welsh: I heard
you speaking it last night with the postman."

"Why, through my Welsh wife, your honour! Without her I don't think I
should ever have picked up the Welsh manner of discoursing--she is a good
kind of woman, my Welsh wife, though--"

"The loss of your Durham wife must have been a great grief to you," said
I.

"It was the bitterest grief, your honour, as I said before, that I ever
had; my next worst I think was the death of a dear friend."

"Who was that?" said I

"Who was it, your honour? why, the Duke of Newcastle."

"Dear me!" said I, "how came you to know him?"

"Why, your honour, he lived at a place not far from here, called Hafod,
and so--"

"Hafod?" said I; "I have often heard of Hafod and its library; but I
thought it belonged to an old Welsh family called Johnes."

"Well, so it did, your honour, but the family died away, and the estate
was put up for sale, and purchased by the Duke, who built a fine house
upon it, which he made his chief place of residence--the old family
house, I must tell your honour, in which the library was, had been
destroyed by fire. Well, he hadn't been long settled there before he
found me out and took wonderfully to me, discoursing with me and
consulting me about his farming and improvements. Many is the pleasant
chat and discourse I have had with his Grace for hours and hours
together, for his Grace had not a bit of pride, at least he never showed
any to me, though perhaps the reason of that was that we were both north
country people. Lord! I would have laid down my life for his Grace and
have done anything but one which he once asked me to do. 'Greaves,' said
the Duke to me one day, 'I wish you would give up mining and become my
steward.' 'Sorry I can't oblige your Grace,' said I, 'but give up mining
I cannot. I will at any time give your Grace all the advice I can about
farming and such like, but give up mining I cannot; because why?--I
conceive mining t