Mrs. Cheeseman, the wife of Mr. Cheeseman, who kept the main shop in

the village, put this conclusion into better English, when Mrs. Shanks

(Harry's mother) came on Monday to buy a rasher and compare opinions.

"If I could have fetched it to my mind," she said, "that Squire Darling

were a tarradiddle, and all his wenches liars--which some of them be,

and no mistake--and if I could refuse my own eyes about gold-lace, and

crown jewels, and arms off, happier would I sleep in my bed, ma'am,

every night the Lord seeth good for it. I would sooner have found

hoppers in the best ham in the shop than have gone to church so to

delude myself. But there! that Cheeseman would make me do it. I did

believe as we had somebody fit to do battle for us against Boney, and I

laughed about all they invasion and scares. But now--why, 'a can't say

bo to a goose! If 'a was to come and stand this moment where you be

a-standing, and say, 'Mrs. Cheeseman, I want a fine rasher,' not a bit

of gristle would I trim out, nor put it up in paper for him, as I do for

you, ma'am."

And Widow Shanks quite agreed with her.

"Never can I tell you what my feelings was, when I seed him a-standing

by the monument, ma'am. But I said to myself--'why, my poor John, as is

now in heaven, poor fellow, would 'a took you up with one hand, my lord,

stars and garters and crowns and all, and put you into his sow-west

pocket.' And so he could have done, Mrs. Cheeseman."

But the opinion of the men was different, because they knew a bee from a

bull's foot.

"He may not be so very big," they said, "nor so outrageous thunderin',

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