296 CONFESSIONS OF A TOAD-EATER. 



schoolfellows, made a long spring day appear very short* My 

 friend had been fortunate ; he had acquired a handsome independ- 

 ence by making himself pleasing to an old uncle ; and had wisely 

 retired to enjoy it without risk. From this time a friendship of the 

 firmest nature subsisted between us, I was consulted on all occasions, 

 I became absolutely indispensable to my dear friend, was expected to 

 give up all other engagements, execute numerous commissions in 

 town, and in case of an omission on my Sunday visits, I was sure to 

 find that he had suffered great inconvenience, had been three or four 

 days without biscuits, had heard it was a good time to buy coals, and 

 intended that I should have ordered them. In this way v/e continued 

 some years, during which time I often found my situation very irk- 

 some. But regard for my dear friend, and the knowledge of how 

 useful I was to him, reconciled me. Besides, he had no relations, his 

 health was going, and I was the only friend on whom he could rely 

 to see him decently laid in the grave. What a desolate situation for 

 my poor dear friend ; no I could not leave him. At length he was 

 taken ill, and on this occasion scarcely ever suffered me to quit his 

 bed-side, and on his recovery, which he imputed in a great degree, 

 to my attention, I became more bound to him than ever. Every 

 fresh cold, or rheumatic twinge cost me a journey, and taxed my 

 poor pocket pretty severely for little delicacies, for which he ex- 

 pressed the utmost gratefulness. He often told me, that when he 

 was dead and gone, I should find he had not forgotten my kind 

 attention. Poor dear man such hints were too much for my deli- 

 cate susceptibility. However I gradually began to reconcile myself 

 to the belief, that whenever it should please the Almighty to gather my 

 dear friend to his fathers, the bulk of his very pretty property, would 

 be forced into my possesion once I detected myself heaven for- 

 give ! contemplating certain alterations and improvements in the 

 doors and windows of the house : I had almost made up my mind 

 to re-model a serpentine walk, and the summer house in the garden. 

 I one day too, asked Mr. Smith, a gentleman who owned a small 

 paddock adjoining it, at what price he would part with it. I never 

 shall forget the peculiar look he eyed me with as I asked the ques- 

 tion : I cannot understand even now what he meant by the look. But 

 Smith was a remarkably ill-bred man. 



My friend though strictly punctual and honest in his general 

 transactions, was certainly fond of hoarding. He would frequently 

 desire me to bring him fish, arid other little things, many of which he 

 would quite forget to pay me for, and I was poor, very poor. Al- 

 though sometimes, I could not be otherwise, than nettled at his 

 meanness ; still, the reflection that my dear friend had, perhaps, my 

 ultimate interest at heart, checked all irritable feeling.- I must say 

 that at times I speculated respecting the nature of his will, but I 

 always checked such interested feelings as quite unworthy the sin- 

 cere friendship I bore him. In short about two years from this 

 period, during which my visits became still more constant, I, in fact, 

 neglected every other connexion, and lived entirely with my re- 

 spected friend he alas ! coming to town on a raw foggy morning, to 

 receive his dividend, took cold; which, settling in his chest, threat- 



