them smile, if we can, and endeavour to offend neither.
If Dickens omitted to mention the festivals that were
given in honour of his arrival in the States, he was
doubtless actuated by a desire to avoid the appearance
of personal vanity. A man cannot well make himself the
hero of his own book."

"Well, well," said he, "I believe the black ox did tread
on my toe that time. I don't know but what you're right.
Soft words are good enough in their way, but still they
butter no parsnips, as the sayin' is. John may be a
good-natured critter, tho' I never see'd any of it yet;
and he may be fond of a joke, and p'raps is, seein' that
he haw-haws considerable loud at his own. Let's try him
at all events. We'll soon see how he likes other folks'
jokes; I have my scruple about him, I must say. I am
dubersome whether he will say 'chee, chee, chee' when he
gets 'T'other eend of the gun.'"




CHAPTER VI.

SMALL POTATOES AND FEW IN A HILL.

"Pray Sir," said one of my fellow passengers, "can you
tell me why the Nova Scotians are called 'Blue-noses?'"

"It is the name of a potatoe," said I, "which they produce