1831.] Too Early. G15 



rather odd that, with all his watchfulness, he could scarcely ever see any 

 one come in or go out of the cottage ; and, just as his curiosity began to 

 be whetted by this circumstance, Dick's daily morning egress met his 

 observant eye. ]\Ir. Paul thought it very odd that, every morning before 

 day-break, he should hear the cottage-door bang to ; and when that cir- 

 cumstance primed him to quit his comfortable bed, and peep through the 

 casement, he thought it still more odd that he should always see one 

 solitary man stealing through the scarcely-dissipated gloom of the night. 

 Mr. Paul, among his other amiable qualities, had those of invention and 

 of tale-bearing ; so that no sooner was a mystery at work in his brain, than 

 he suppUed all the links that were wanting, and then ran about the 

 place whispering to all that would listen to him the prodigious results 

 of his discoveries. Of course poor Dick did not escape ; for, the very 

 next morning after Mr. Paul had fully made up his mind as to what it all 

 meant, Dick's gentle opening of the cottage-door was the signal for two 

 constables and three excise-officers to rush in. 



" Pray, gentlemen," cried Dick, somewhat aghast, " what may this 

 mean ?" 



" Come, come, my covey," said the leading exciseman — " no gam- 

 mon ! — 'Twon't do, I teU e'e. You may as well shew us the still, and 

 gi' up the wash." 



Dick, more aghast than ever at this elegant address, only opened his 

 mouth, and said nothing. 



" Vot, you von't then, my rum 'un ?" said the exciseman ; " then I'll 

 tell e'e wot, as 'ow, — we must 'elp oursels." 



" Nonsense !" cried my friend, somewhat roused at seeing the whole 

 posse preparing to make their way towards the sanctum sanctorum of 

 his wife : — " there is no private still here, and into that room you shall 

 not go." 



" Oh, my eye, von't ve tho'," said the exciseman. — " Bill, tip 'im your 

 stave, if he's rusty. — Vy, 'ark'ye, mister, we 'as it from the first autho- 

 rity that your chimney is smoking all night." 



" So it is," cried Dick ; " but that is absolutely necessary, as my wife 

 requires embrocations and warm drinks every two hours." 



" Hum !" sulkily muttered the exciseman, as if puzzled at so ready 

 an answer. — " But then, I say, mister, we hears as 'ow that only yes- 

 terday you had a large sack brought here, chock-full ! — Varen't that 

 'ere malt for the still, now ?" 



" If you can make malt out of that," said Dick, pointing to a heap 

 of bran that was lying in an open cupboard with the empty sack near it 

 — " if you can make malt out of that, you must be a tolerably clever 

 fellow. — Did you never hear of bran used for ground-bait?" 



" Hum !" quoth the exciseman again, still more sulkily than before. 



" But, if you please, sir, they says as 'ow you are to be seen every morn- 

 ing walking off' before day-light with a basket over your shoulder, and 

 there is a talk about a keg being inside the basket !" 



" Then, perhaps," replied my friend, " you can find the keg in the 

 basket now — for here it is :" — and he opened his wicker companion, and 

 displayed it well filled with reels, lines, flies, ground-bait, and gentles. 



" Sir," cried the disappointed excise-officer, " I 'umbly ax your par- 

 don, and hope you'll not take off'ence at a poor fellow for being over- 

 anxious to discharge his duty. Slieer off", you gawks, don't you see 

 tliat you've no business here? And blow me tight, if I can but catch 



