of its inhabitants. At the time when I became old enough to have a knowledge of the village and its people, the clergyman of the parish, without the assistance of a curate, read prayers twice on the Lord's day, morning and afternoon; and at each service gave us a short dry moral essay, a sort of composing draught. It certainly had a very soothing effect, for no sooner did the reverend gentleman open the black covers within which his manuscript was enclosed, and commence reading it in the most approved clerical style of the day, than a great many in the congregation settled down with the evident intention of taking things easy. Then it was that the old clerk, finding himself at leisure for 'forty winks,' made off as fast as he could for dream-land, as a kind of compensation for having had to hurry along with the parson in reading prayers. Occasionally, to the delight of the children sitting in the gallery just over the old man, when the clergyman, with a little more emphasis and a higher tone of voice than was usual with him, pointed out to the non-sleeping portion of the congregation the disastrous consequences likely to arise to Church and State from the rapidly rising tide of Dissent, the clerk, roused from his nap, would make the old building resound with a startling 'A-men!

IN

CHAPTER II.

ITS HOUSES AND PEOPLE.

N different parts of the village there were a few substantially built farmhouses.

The

steward of the estate lived in a very comfortable, roomy dwelling, which had a nicely kept lawn in front of it, with a few choice shrubs and flowers for adornment. Mr. Newcome, the steward, soon improved the appearance of this large house; of course at the squire's expense. Stables and out-houses were added, and it soon became quite a respectable mansion on a small scale.

Near the centre of Hathercott, lying west of the church, and at no great distance, was the parsonage, well built, nicely sheltered, and in every way a desirable residence for a gentleman of means and taste; both of which the rector, the Rev. Augustus French, possessed in sufficiency.

Some four hundred yards from the church, on the north-east, might be seen what the old folks called The Court, or big house.' Squire Dumaine might be pardonably proud of his mansion, well laid out grounds, and large and beautiful park, stretching

far away to the front of the mansion, studded with fine old oaks that had stood for centuries, and were throwing out their giant arms when good Queen Bess swayed her mighty sceptre over the British Isles. There, too, might be seen the lofty elm and the sheltering birch, under which the cattle would stand lazily enjoying the protection afforded from the sun's burning rays. I used to ask myself, when measuring Squire Dumaine by his fine mansion, rich estate, and rent-roll, 'If this were mine, should I care to leave it for the mansions of glory?'

Is it hard for rich men to die? I am not likely to know from personal experience. Well, let me be thankful that I am not in want of one of 'Chubb's safes' to hold my title-deeds to a rich estate. 'How hardly shall a rich man enter into the kingdom of God!'

'I dare not choose my lot;
I would not, if I might :
Choose Thou for me, my God,
So shall I walk aright.
The kingdom that I seek
Is Thine; so let the way
That leads to it be Thine,
Else I must surely stray.

'Take Thou my cup, and it
With joy or sorrow fill,
As best to Thee may seem;
Choose Thou my good and ill.
Not mine, not mine the choice,
In things or great or small;
Be Thou my Guide, my Strength,
My Wisdom, and my All.'

The cottages in Hathercott were equal, and in some respects superior, to the dwellings of the working portion of the community in the adjoining

village of Branston. There was scarcely a cottage that had not its patch of garden, which, when properly attended to, yielded a sufficient supply of vegetables for the requirements of the family all the year round. Wages, too, were above the average paid in a purely agricultural district; the reason being that collieries had been opened up in the place.

My readers will perceive that Hathercott, considering its isolated position, had much to be proud of and to be thankful for as well. True, here and there might be seen a public-house, bearing the sign of The Dragon, The Winning Horse, and The Hare and Hounds; and many mother and wife went with a meal short at times, and wore a bonnet that had long ago seen the best of its days.

There were children, too, whose schooling the certificated master had had nothing to do with. Not that schools were unknown in Hathercott. O no! There was the Church school, where boys and girls were taught by the village schoolmistress, and honoured once, sometimes twice, a week with a visit from the squire or some member of his family. The clergyman, too, would frequently drop in. The squire generally made his appearance when one of the boys had violated the rules of the establishment. Woe to the lad that had incurred the displeasure of the mistress, when Mr. Dumaine paid the school a visit! The writhings and contortions of features of some poor stubborn lad, as blow after blow was inflicted, were painful to witness.

But those were the days of flogging; then nearly everybody believed in 'laying it on.' What a blessing for the world that old people die, and very often carry with them old absurdities! a resurrec

tion of which is about the last thing to be desired. If you cannot make a boy obey you without beating him, he is likely to remain disobedient. The devil has been beaten in oftener than he has been beaten out of a boy. I have known many a one experimented on by men of the cane and birch, but without success. The devil is fond of fighting, and a boy, as a rule, is not averse to it. Beat him to-day, and he resolves to beat you at the first opportunity that presents itself.

Most of the inhabitants of Hathercott were natives of the place. The tombstones in the old churchyard proved it, as well as the parish register. But, after the opening of the collieries, a few strangers found their way into the village, and, finding a chance of improving their circumstances, resolved to settle down in it, and share the fortunes of its inhabitants. Devonshire, Cornwall, and Dorsetshire were represented; Wiltshire and Gloucester gave us one or two families; and an Irishman, taking his summer's outing for the purpose of doing a little in the way of mowing and reaping, accompanied by his wife and five children, and equipped with kettles, pots, and other movables, determined, at the end of the harvest season, to settle amongst the thriving Hathercott people.

There is another building in this village to which I must call the reader's attention before bringing this chapter to a close. I have purp sely delayed mentioning it sooner, on account of the interest which centres in it, and the pleasant associations which cluster round it. Without this, my acquaintances of Hathercott would not be worth calling attention to, as I could not have known them sufficiently and under such peculiarly favourable