166 THE COTTAGE ALLOTMENT SYSTEM. 



match by the young men of the neighbourhood. She was a well- 

 looking girl, of a cheerful, lively temper, which attracted general 

 regard ; before she was seventeen, half-a-dozen suitors had made 

 their bows ; but all were rejected by the little damsel, who had per- 

 versely given her heart to the wrong man, a mere labourer on her 

 father's farm. How John Robinson contrived to win her, I never 

 heard. For some time, however, matters went on smoothly ; but at 

 length a discovery was made by a busy neighbour, which changed 

 the face of affairs. The farmer and his wife were of that class so 

 numerous in England, whose leading idea is to be respectable ; that 

 is, to pay your way, go to church regularly, do as others do, and be in 

 good repute with your neighbours. It had long been their ambition 

 that Mary should marry a substantial farmer in an adjoining parish, 

 and when they found their hopes disappointed, and their respect- 

 ability lessened by her attachment to Robinson, it is not surprising 

 that their anger should be extreme against both parties. The old 

 man discharged Robinson on the spot, with the most violent re- 

 proaches ; and the old lady lectured poor Mary in the regular style 

 used by dowagers on such occasions. The feelings of the two parties, 

 however, remained unchanged in this reverse of fortune. Mary 

 endeavoured to soften her parents' hearts by tears and entreaties ; 

 but the blue eyes of eighteen, and the spectacled ones of sixty, see 

 things in very different lights, and she only brought on herself a 

 fresh storm of indignation. Robinson then manfully determined to 

 work harder than ever ; and as soon as he could save from his wages 

 sufficient to rent a garden, near Reading, to take Mary without her 

 fortune, if old Baker chose to keep it. 



In this manner a year passed away, and at the end of it Robinson 

 found he had saved but a small sum, notwithstanding all his frugality ; 

 but he looked forward to a rise of wages, and hoped for better times 

 next year. When that had passed, however, he found his savings 

 were still less, and it required all Mary's rhetoric to cheep him up, 

 when he thought of the time that must pass before he could accumu- 

 late the requisite sum. (< You will have better news next time," 

 she said, as they parted in the shrubbery before the house ; and then 

 you will not come with that long face, to tell me we have nothing to 

 hope for. Good night." And John went home with a fresh stock 

 of resolution. The third year had come and gone with few oppor- 

 tunities of seeing each other. In these Robinson always spoke 

 despondingly, and, therefore, on the last day of the year, when they 

 had agreed to meet in the little shrubbery, and talk over their plans, 

 Mary was not surprised to find him in his gloomiest mood. " It's 

 no use," he said, striking his hand against a tree, " its no use at all ; 

 if I was to work my arms off, I could'nt save a sixpence. It's no use, 

 I say." 



" But what makes you think so, John ? If times are bad, we 

 must look forward to better ones ; but you are always so faint- 

 hearted." 



" You don't know how it is, Mary ; wages have been low enough, 

 God knows, this long time ; but now I can't get work at any price." 



