166 RANGE OF APPRENTICESHIP. 



" My attention was never drawn aside," said Mr. Crumple- 

 horn, "by the many would-be sweethearts ; but I confess, I was 

 proud to be noticed. When known in the village that the ob- 

 ject of my affection was my father's apprentice, then was a cause 

 assigned for my apathy. Oh ! then came the bitter essence o^ 

 female spite and scandal. To the village and parish cry of 

 " shame/* I could find a remedy in a laugh or look, varied ac- 

 cording to the party with whom I had to deal; but to my own 

 family *s opposition I could hope no redress — save what opened 

 by patience in suffering. Here were arraigned against me, fa- 

 ther and mother, brothers and sisters, man -servants and maid- 

 servants, to all of whom, save the two former, my presence 

 checked harshness ; but this served, as I fancied, only to give 

 pause for increased invective and cruelty towards my poor maid 

 in my absence." 



" Matters thus went on for. many months, and for many more 

 must have continued, had I not fortunately resolved for the fu- 

 ture to accompany Peggy through the village to church, on all 

 Sundays, and to the fairs on holidays; but more particularly to 

 the shippen every evening to carry home her laden milk pails. 

 Here arose another cause for murmur. Father would meet me 

 and remark, — "What, Tim, hast left work to carry deals?" 

 " Yes, father," I should answer, " because 't is hard dealing for 

 a maiden." "Tush, you beetle-head," the old man would say, 

 " thy mother hath done it oft and oft." " Two four-gallon pails ?'' 

 I asked, — "Ay, two six, if necessary thee stupid,*' father 

 would angrily reply, and thus repeatedly closed our shippen 

 adventures. 



" Ah ! " sighed Mrs. Crumplehorn, " nobody knows what I 

 suffered." " Well, well — 't is all over now," said her husband? 

 " so let me finish my story." 



"I was afraid," continued Mr. Crumplehorn, "to take Peggy 

 from the house, being threatened with a visit from the authorities ; 

 but I have since doubted whether this would have been the case, 

 as our good parson took a lively interest in the matter, ancj with 

 many scriptural proofs convinced my father that he was wrong 

 in the persecution (I mind the word very well) which he was 

 carrying on against us. But, I knew pretty nigh the cause. In 

 all families their are pets. I was mother's (though not in my 

 choice of Peggy). Sister was father's. There it was. Sister's 

 ear-wigging did all the mischief. " Ah," closed Mr. Crumple- 

 horn, " you may depend upon it that women's hatred is more to 

 be dreaded than men's." "Well, I'm sure," retorted Mrs. C. 



