Let me sit down, and be sure where I am, and then you may give me a glass of treble X.In the first place, the pony nearly kicked me off, when that idiot of a Stubbard began firing from his battery.

What have I done, or my peaceful flock, that a noisy set of guns should be set up amidst us?
However, I showed Juniper that he had a master, though I shall find it hard to come down-stairs tomorrow.

Well, the next thing was that I saw James Cheeseman, Church-warden Cheeseman, Buttery Cheeseman, as the bad boys call him, in the lane, in front of me not more than thirty yards, as plainly as I now have the pleasure of seeing you, Maria; and while I said 'kuck' to the pony, he was gone! I particularly wished to speak to Cheeseman, to ask him some questions about things I have observed, and especially his sad neglect of public worship--a most shameful example on the part of a church-warden--and I was thinking how to put it, affectionately yet firmly, when, to my great surprise, there was no Cheeseman to receive it! I called at his house on my return, about three hours afterwards, having made up my mind to have it out with him, when they positively told me--or at least Polly Cheeseman did--that I must be mistaken about her 'dear papa,' because he was gone in the pony-shay all the way to Uckfield, and would not be back till night." "The nasty little story-teller!" Mrs.Twemlow cried.

"But I am not at all surprised at it, when I saw how she had got her hair done up, last Sunday." "No; Polly believed it.

I am quite sure of that.