70 A BOOK ABOUT TEE GARDEN. 



I will not dwell upon the perils which must result 

 both to life and property from your first experiments 

 with a gun ; I pass over the trifling inconvenience 

 of our compulsory residence in the cellar while you 

 broke every pane in the house ; but I pause to ask 

 you how you dare to propose the murder of those 

 sweet musicians, who not only sing for you as you 

 work, but eat your grubs and wireworms by the 

 bushel? Cover your cherries with nets, Joseph 

 Grundy and your head with shame ! You are 

 worse, I declare, than that dull yahoo from the 

 mining districts, who, coming to spend a few days 

 in the country, ' could not sleep o' nights for them 

 nasty nightingales.' Shall I take our cage to Ver- 

 juice, and order her to make you a canary dump- 

 ling ? or would you prefer that four-and-twenty 

 blackbirds be forthwith baked in a pie? Seriously 

 do those birds no hurt. 'Taught by a Power 

 that pities me, I learn to pity them ; ' and I com- 

 mend the lesson to you." 



Then her neat figure, in its grey silken dress, 

 moved away upon the gravel homewards ; and he 

 was left lamenting. And now befell a visitation, too 

 common in an unloving world : a lancer rode forth to 

 prick the wounded ; a donkey came to kick the ailing 

 lion. Like a pirate upon some hopeless wreck, sweeps 

 down Mrs. Verjuice upon Joseph's grief. With bad 

 taste, and worse grammar, she announced her solemn 

 conviction that it was his, Joseph's, desire and haim 

 to break his missusses' 'arts, and it was her opinion, 

 though she judged no one, that he was in Co. (by 

 which she meant in partnership) with most of the 



