336 A LIFE'S WORK IN IRELAND. 



his wife was making him money by her butter, and even 

 his young children of six or seven years old were gain- 

 fully employed, cutting clover and attending to the 

 cows, and thinning and weeding the turnips, in summer, 

 and pulling his turnips and cutting and cleaning them, 

 in winter. When the cows were out in the field, as 

 they always were for two hours every day, the children 

 watched them. A happier family could not be found 

 in the county ; a pleasanter sight you could not see than 

 those honest people with their industrious children. The 

 children took the greatest delight in their employment, 

 and instead of being ill-mannered, and idle, and dis- 

 obedient to their parents, and a burthen to them, they 

 were of great use and benefit to them. Well, things 

 went on in this way during the good times ; and when 

 the bad times, which we saw breaking poor Tim, came 

 upon Pat, how did he get on ? Sure enough the bad 

 times did come, and Pat's wheat and potatoes were not 

 nearly so good as they had been, nor did he get the 

 price for them he had done. Still, even in that wet 

 summer, his land being in good heart, his wheat filled 

 better than his neighbours' ; and what was bad for his 

 wheat and potatoes, did no hurt to his clover and 

 turnips. As I told you, even when wheat and oats 

 were so low, butter and pigs bore a good price ; and 

 now Pat found the advantage of being able to pay his 

 rent with his butter. Of course he did not, during these 

 bad times, put so much money into his pocket from his 

 wheat and potatoes, but his butter and pigs always paid 

 his rent and more, and so he was in no fear of losing 

 his farm. Indeed, had he lost it, there was not a 

 gentleman in the country but would have been glad to 

 have given him the best farm on his estate. Pat, too, 



