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in his eye!" After he had perpetrated his joke, he told me 

 he would take me for five shillings. I said I had no five 

 shillings to spend, but if he would take me and the basket 

 to 51, King St., Manchester, I would give him half a crown. 

 After some demur he said, " Well, get in " ; and off' we set, 

 and a weary ride I got. He stopped at almost every public 

 house either to drink or let his horse drink. In two hours 

 I landed safely in King Street. Mr. Wood was delighted 

 and laughed heartily at my account, paid the man his two 

 shillings and sixpence, and sent me to wash and refresh 

 myself When that was done, I was sent to George Street 

 with my bottles. The Doctor received me very kindly, and 

 the quiet twinkle of his eye showed his satisfaction, which 

 was greatly increased when he learned the particulars of my 

 travels. He eyed the bottles with great satisfaction, he 

 looked at the corks closely sealed and seemed puzzled. I 

 asked him what he was going to do with them. "Well," he 

 said, " I am thinking how I am to get the corks out without 

 mixing it, more or less, with the atmosphere. I want to put 

 the air into that receiver on the shelf of that pneumatic 

 trough." I said, " I think I could do it." He looked at me 

 and said, " How ? " I said, " File the bottle neck round, and 

 then a smart tap under the water I think will do it." He 

 said, "Capital, thou shalt try." He gave me some coppers to 

 fetch a file, and I soon filed a bottle neck round, then held 

 it under the shelf of the pneumatic trough, a gentle tap 

 with the handle of a knife and the air bubbles very speedily 

 rose into the receiver. The other bottles were beheaded, 

 and very soon I took leave of the Doctor, who was apparently 

 well pleased, and on parting said, if there was anything in 

 his lectures which I did not understand, he wished me not 

 to hesitate but ask him and he would always willingly 

 assist me, and he was as good as his word; in fact, he 

 showed me many little kindnesses afterwards, and so ends 

 my small reminiscence of Dr. Dalton. 



