like that!" said the tranter.

"You won't do that, my friends!" the vicar shouted.

"Well to be sure, what ears!" said Mr. Penny in a whisper. "Beats any
horse or dog in the parish, and depend upon't, that's a sign he's a
proper clever chap."

"We shall see that in time," said the tranter.

Old William, in his gratitude for such thanks from a comparatively new
inhabitant, was anxious to play all the tunes over again; but renounced
his desire on being reminded by Reuben that it would be best to leave
well alone.

"Now putting two and two together," the tranter continued, as they went
their way over the hill, and across to the last remaining houses; "that
is, in the form of that young female vision we zeed just now, and this
young tenor-voiced parson, my belief is she'll wind en round her finger,
and twist the pore young feller about like the figure of 8--that she will
so, my sonnies."



CHAPTER VI: CHRISTMAS MORNING


The choir at last reached their beds, and slept like the rest of the
parish. Dick's slumbers, through the three or four hours remaining for
rest, were disturbed and slight; an exhaustive variation upon the