or life. But there is a special providence over happy
children; and save that he fell on one occasion into the bucket of
soap and water, wherewith a domestic was scouring the chintz room
floor, and suffered some inconvenience from the hotness thereof, he
escaped in a manner truly miraculous from any accident affecting life
or limb. When the time drew near in the which I expected the return of
my excellent wife, I took all the children to the upper part of the
church field which faces the high-road, upon which the large stones
have recently been laid down in the manner of a causeway, but which,
at that period, was left to the natural hardness, or rather softness,
of the soil, and was, in consequence thereof, dangerous to travel on
by reason of the ruts and hollows; to that portion, I say, of the
church field I conveyed all my little ones, to give the gratulations
necessary on such an occasion to their excellent mother. The spot
whereon we were stationed commanded a view of the hill which
superimpends our village, and we were therefore gratified to think
that we should have an early view of the expected travellers; and many
quarrels and soft reconcilements did take place between my younger
ones, upon the point of who would be the first to see their approach.
In the midst of these sweet contentions, whilst I was in the
undignified and scarcely clerical act of carrying little Charles upon
my shoulder, having decorated his head with my broad-brimmed hat, in
order to enable him--vain imagination, which pleased the boy's
heart--to see over and beyond the hill, there did pass, in all her
wonted state and dignity, with two outriders in the Mallerden livery,
two palfreniers at her side, and four mounted serving-men behind, the
ancient Lady Mallerden, which was so famous an upholder of our
venerated church in the evil days through which it so happily passed;
and with no little perturbation of mind, and great confusion of face,
did I see the look of astonishment, not to say disdain, with which she
regarded my position; more particularly as little Charles, elevated,
as I have said, upon my shoulders, with his legs on each side of my
neck, did lift up the professional hat, which did entirely absorb his
countenance, with great courtesy, and made a most grave and
ceremonious obeisance unto the lofty lady. She pursued her path,
returning the salutation with a kind of smile, and at the same easy
ambling pace as was her wont, proceeded up