The squire, who was esteemed as choleric a gentleman as most in the county, was the best-humoured fellow you could imagine when you set him down to whist opposite the sunny face of his wife.

You never heard one of those incorrigible blunderers scold each other; on the contrary, they only laughed when they threw away the game, with four by honours in their hands.

The utmost that was ever said was a "Well, Harry, that was the oddest trump of yours.

Ho, ho, ho!" or a "Bless me, Hazeldean--why, they made three tricks in clubs, and you had the ace in your hand all the time! Ha, ha, ha!" Upon which occasions Captain Barnabas, with great goodhumour, always echoed both the squire's Ho, ho, ho! and Mrs.Hazeldean's Ha, ha, ha! Not so the parson.

He had so keen and sportsmanlike an interest in the game, that even his adversaries' mistakes ruffled him.