THE GREAT PLUM PUDDING. 157 



the housemaid's department. Some months before, 

 Treemiss had kindly presented us with a few currants 

 and raisins wherewith to make a Christmas pudding. 

 From a modest distrust of his own skill, Milton had 

 hitherto hesitated to attempt so high a flight ; but 

 encouraged by a series of successes in the savoury 

 branch of the culinary art, and urged by the eager 

 solicitations of Cheadle, he at length consented to 

 attempt a plum pudding. 



Having discovered, some time before, that the 

 fruit was rapidly diminishing in quantity in an inex- 

 plicable manner, Cheadle had taken the precaution 

 of securing it, together with a modicum of flour 

 and sugar, in his strong box. This likewise con- 

 tained stores of powder, shot, caps, tobacco, soap, 

 and various etceteras. When the materials for the 

 pudding were sought, it was found that they had 

 escaped from the paper in which they had been 

 enclosed, and were scattered about at the bottom 

 of the box, mixed with loose shot, caps, fragments 

 of tobacco, and other heterogeneous substances. 



After ehminating all foreign bodies as carefully 

 as possible, the pudding was duly mixed, tied up in 

 the cloth after the estabhshed manner, and placed in 

 the pot. Many a time was it taken out and its state 

 examined by point of fork before it was at last — 

 after boiling nearly all day — pronounced thoroughly 

 cooked. We had a brace of prairie chickens also, 

 but all interest was centred in the pudding. No one 

 who has not been restricted entirely to one species of 

 food for a long time can form any idea of the greedy 



