LXXV Founder's Day at Grey Friars
LXXVI Christmas at Rosebury
LXXVII The Shortest and Happiest in the whole History
LXXVIII In which the Author goes on a Pleasant Errand
LXII In which Old Friends come together
LXXX In which the Colonel says "Adsum" when his Name is called



THE NEWCOMES




CHAPTER I

The Overture--After which the Curtain rises upon a Drinking Chorus


A crow, who had flown away with a cheese from a dairy-window, sate
perched on a tree looking down at a great big frog in a pool underneath
him. The frog's hideous large eyes were goggling out of his head in a
manner which appeared quite ridiculous to the old blackamoor, who watched
the splay-footed slimy wretch with that peculiar grim humour belonging to
crows. Not far from the frog a fat ox was browsing; whilst a few lambs
frisked about the meadow, or nibbled the grass and buttercups there.

Who should come in to the farther end of the field but a wolf? He was so
cunningly dressed up in sheep's clothing, that the very lambs did not
know Master Wolf; nay, one of them, whose dam the wolf had just eaten,