50 A Christmas Party. [JAN. 



and a nod, twisted his mouth a little more on one side than usual, and 

 assented without a word ; and with the same facility did he relinquish 

 the bough of misletoe, which he had purposed to suspend from the bacon 

 rack the ancient misletoe bough, on passing under which our village 

 lads are apt to snatch a kiss from the village maidens : a ceremony which 

 offended Hester's nicety, and which Jacob promised to abrogate ; and, 

 pacified by these concessions, the bride promised to make due prepara- 

 tion for the ball, whilst the bridegroom departed on his usual expedition 

 to the coast. 



Of the unrest of that week of bustling preparation, words can give but a 

 faint image Oh, the scourings, the cleanings, the sandings, the dustings, 

 the scoldings of that disastrous week ! The lame ostler and the red-haired 

 parish girl were worked off their feet " even Sunday shone no Sabbath 

 day to them " for then did the lame ostler trudge eight miles to the 

 church of a neighbouring parish, to procure the attendance of a celebrated 

 bassoon player to officiate in lieu of Timothy ; whilst the poor little maid 

 was sent nearly as far to the head town, in quest of an itinerant show- 

 woman, of whom report had spoken at the Bell, to beat the tambourine. 

 The show-woman proved undiscoverable; but the bassoon player having 

 promised to come, and to bring with him a clarionet, Mrs. Frost was at 

 ease as to her music ; and having provided more victuals than the whole 

 village could have discussed at a sitting, and having moreover adorned 

 her house with berried holly, china-roses and chrysantherums after the 

 most tasteful manner, began to enter into the spirit of the thing, and to 

 wish for the return of her husband, to admire and to praise. 



Late on the great day Jacob arrived, his cart laden with marine stores 

 for his share of the festival. Never had the goodly village of Aberleigh 

 witnessed such a display of oysters, muscles, perriwinkles and cockles, 

 to say nothing of apples and nuts, and two little kegs, snugly covered 

 up, which looked exceedingly as if they had cheated the revenue, a 

 packet of green-tea, which had something of the same air, and a new 

 silk gown, of a flaming salmon-colour, straight from Paris, which he 

 insisted on Hester's retiring to assume, whilst he remained to arrange 

 the table and receive the company, who, it being now about four o'clock 

 P. M. our good rustics can never have enough of a good thing were 

 beginning to assemble for the ball. 



The afternoon was fair and cold, and dry and frosty, and Matthews's, 

 Bridgwaters', Whites' and Jones's, in short the whole sacmerage and 

 shopkeepery of the place, with a goodly proportion of wives and daugh- 

 ters, came pouring in apace. Jacob received them with much gallantry, 

 uncloaking and unbonneting the ladies, assisted by his two staring and 

 awkward auxiliaries, welcoming their husbands and fathers, and apolo- 

 gizing, as best he might, for the absence of his helpmate ; who, " per- 

 plexed in the extreme " by her new finery, which happening to button 

 down the back, she was fain to put on hind side before, did not make her 

 appearance till the greater part of the company had arrived, and the music 

 had struck up a country dance. An evil moment, alas ! did poor Hester 

 choose for her entry ! for the first sound that met her ear was Timothy's 

 fiddle, forming a strange trio with the bassoon and the clarionet ; and the 

 first persons whom she saw were Tom Martin cracking walnuts at the chim- 

 ney-side, and Simon Frazer saluting the widow Glen under the misletoe. 

 How she survived such sights and sounds does appear wonderful but sur- 

 vive them she did for at three o'clock, A. M., when our reporter left the 



