340 MR. THOMAS ROBINSON 



He was also fond of shooting and hunting, and " walked 

 a puppy." He rented a manor close by, and in company 

 with his brother William and Sam Eogers had finished/ 

 beating some turnips, and had retired to the leeward 

 side of a corn-stack just made, for the purpose of having 

 luncheon, the puppy following them, when they saw old 

 Tom Brenty coming with a sack slung carelessly across 

 his shoulders. He was about half-witted, or in provincial 

 language " daft," and would do no regular work, but 

 earned a scanty precarious living by going on errands. 

 To him Frank said : 



' " What have you got in the sack, Tommy?" 

 ' To which he replied in his stammering way : 

 ' " A so-o-o-ow pig for Mr. Barratt at the Grange." 

 ' They gave him some lunch, and whilst Frank amused 

 him, Sam and William managed to take the pig out and 

 put the foxhound "puppy in the sack, and then emptied 

 the luncheon -basket and put the sow pig into it, and 

 sent Tommy delighted on his journey. Arrived at the 

 Grange he met Mr. Barratt, who said : 

 ' " Well, Tommy, what brings you here?" 

 ' " I have brought you a a a so-ow pig from Mr. 

 Dobedee," was the rejoinder. 



' "Oh, thanks!" he said ; "that is just what I wanted. 

 Bring her down to the sty." 



' But when the sack was opened, out came a fox- 

 hound puppy, much to the annoyance of Mr. Barratt, 

 who said : 



' " I wanted a sow pig, and not a foxhound puppy. 

 Take him back to Mr. Dobedee, and tell him so." 



And much to the annoyance of old Tommy, who 

 declared he saw a sow pig put in the sack before he 

 started, the hound was again put in the bag, and with 

 him he retraced his steps to Mr. Dobedee's. 



