mournfully and wished me good-morning in a strong accent, for he was
deaf and probably thought I was begging. So I went on still more
despondent till I came to a really merry man of about middle age who
was going to the fields, singing, with a very large rake over his
shoulder. When I had asked him the same question he stared at me a
little and said of course coffee and bread could be had at the
baker's, and when I asked him how I should know the baker's he was
still more surprised at my ignorance, and said, 'By the smoke coming
from the large chimney.' This I saw rising a short way off on my
right, so I thanked him and went and found there a youth of about
nineteen, who sat at a fine oak table and had coffee, rum, and a loaf
before him. He was waiting for the bread in the oven to be ready; and
meanwhile he was very courteous, poured out coffee and rum for me and
offered me bread.

It is a matter often discussed why bakers are such excellent citizens
and good men. For while it is admitted in every country I was ever in
that cobblers are argumentative and atheists (I except the cobbler
under Plinlimmon, concerning whom would to heaven I had the space to
tell you all here, for he knows the legends of the mountain), while it
is public that barbers are garrulous and servile, that millers are
cheats (we say in Sussex that every honest miller has a large tuft of
hair on the palm of his hand), yet--with every trade in the world
having some bad quality attached to it--bakers alone are exempt, and
every one takes it for granted that they are sterling: indeed, there
are some societies in which, no matter how gloomy and churlish the
conversation may have become, you have but to mention bakers for
voices to brighten suddenly and for a good influence to pervade every
one. I say this is known for a fact, but not usually explained; the
explanation is, that bakers are always up early in the morning and can