J 56 Our Maying. [Aec. 



Dishing. Ho shall soy yes to twenty different opinions on the same 

 subject, within the hour ;. and so honest and cordial does his agreement 

 seem, that no one of his customers, whether drunk or sober, ever dreams 

 of doubting his sincerity. The hottest conflict of politics never puzzled 

 him : Whig or Tory, he was both, or either " the happy Mercutio, that 

 curses both homes.'* Add to this gift of conformity, a cheerful, easy 

 temper, an alacrity of attention, a zealous desire to please, which gives to 

 IMS duties, as a landlord, all the grace of hospitality, and a perpetual civi- 

 lity and kindness, even when lie has nothing to gain by them ; and no 

 one can w r onder at Master Brown's popularity. 



After his good wife's death, this popularity began to extend itself in a 

 remarkable manner amongst the females of the neighbourhood ; smitten 

 with his portly person, his smooth, oily manner, and a certain, soft, earnest 

 whispering voice, which he generally assumes when addressing one of the 

 fairer sex, and which seems to make his very "how d'ye do" confidential 

 and complimentary. Moreover, it was thought that the good landlord was 

 well to do in the world, and though Betsey and Letty were good little 

 girls, quick, civil, and active, yet, poor things, what could such young 

 girls know of a house like the Rose ? All would go to rack and ruin 

 without the eye of a mistress? Master Brown must look out for a wife. 

 So thought the whole female world, and, apparently, Master Brown began 

 to think so himself. 



The first fair one to whom his attention was directed, was a rosy, 

 pretty widow, a pastry-cook of the next town, who arrived in our village 

 on a visit to her cousin, the baker, for the purpose of giving confectionary 

 lessons to his wife. Nothing was ever so hot as that courtship. During 

 the week that the lady of pie-crust staid, her lover almost lived in the 

 oven. One would have thought that he was learning to make the cream- 

 tarts without pepper, by which Bedreddin Hassan regained his state and 

 his princess. It would be a most suitable match, as all the parish agreed ; 

 the widow, for as pretty as she was, and one shan't often see a pleasanter, 

 open countenance, or a sweeter smile, being within ten years as old as her 

 suitor, and having had two husbands already. A most proper and suit- 

 able match, said every body ; and when our landlord carried her back to 

 B. in his new-painted green cart, all the village agreed that they were 

 gone to be married, and the ringers were just setting up a peal, when 

 Master Brown returned alone, single, crest fallen, dejected ; the bells 

 stopped of themselves, and we heard no more of the pretty pastry-cook. 

 For three months after that rebuff, mine host, albeit not addicted to 

 aversions, testified an equal dislike to women and bracelets, widows and 

 plum-cake. Even poor Alice Taylor, whose travelling basket of lolly- 

 pops and gingerbread he had whilome patronized, was forbidden the 

 house ; and not a bun or a biscuit could be had at the Rose, for love or 

 money. 



The fit, however, wore off in time ; and he began again to follow the 

 advice of his neighbours, and to look out for a wife, up street and down ; 

 whilst at each extremity a fair object presented herself, from neither of 

 whom had he the slightest reason to dread a repetition of the repulse which 

 he had experienced from the blooming widow. The down-street lady 

 was a widow also, the portly, comely relict of our drunken village black- 

 smith, who, in spite of her joy at her first husband's death, and an old 

 spite at mine host of the Rose, to whose good ale and good company she 

 was wont to aserihe most of the observations of the deceased, began to 



