punters set them over toward the other shore, and left us standing on
the bank beside our boat.

"Let us go and see them," said Clara; "that is, if you are not in a
hurry to get to Streatley, Walter?"

"O no," said Walter, "I shall be glad of the excuse to have a little
more of your company."

So we left the boat moored there, and went on up the slow slope of
the hill; but I said to Dick on the way, being somewhat mystified:
"What was all that laughing about? what was the joke!"

"I can guess pretty well," said Dick; "some of them up there have got
a piece of work which interests them, and they won't go to the
haymaking, which doesn't matter at all, because there are plenty of
people to do such easy-hard work as that; only, since haymaking is a
regular festival, the neighbours find it amusing to jeer good-
humouredly at them."

"I see," said I, "much as if in Dickens's time some young people were
so wrapped up in their work that they wouldn't keep Christmas."

"Just so," said Dick, "only these people need not be young either."

"But what did you mean by easy-hard work?" said I.

Quoth Dick: "Did I say that? I mean work that tries the muscles and
hardens them and sends you pleasantly weary to bed, but which isn't
trying in other ways: doesn't harass you in short. Such work is