424 A FARMER'S YEAR 



sufficient they had felt justified in marrying and buying their 

 furniture upon the hire system ; that they did very well, but when 

 some small sum only was left to pay upon the furniture, they were ' 

 both stricken by scarlet fever, and both rendered deaf or blind, I 

 forget which ; that they had prospect of recovery, but were friend- 

 less, and unless the required assistance was forthcoming, their goods 

 would be seized and they must be reduced to utter ruin. To ail 

 appearance this case presented every symptom of fraud, but as 

 I happened to have a friend, who is a solicitor, living in the 

 same town, I asked him to be so kind as to make inquiries. It 

 turned out to be genuine in every particular, and by a little timely 

 help the persons concerned were enabled to turn the corner of their 

 trouble, or so I gathered from a letter subsequently received. 

 ^Vhat has become of them now I do not know, but the lady pro- 

 mised that when she was 'a famous woman' I should hear from 

 her again. 



In conclusion of this subject : Final Notice. To the vast 

 Something-for-Nothing Public. This agricultural scribe is not 

 a successful playwright and as yet farming has been his most 

 fortunate speculation ! Try or — or — Verhum sap. 



l"o-day there was a meeting at this house, with one of 

 the medical gentlemen of our neighbourhood in the chair, to 

 discuss the possibility of establishing a Queen's nurse to attend 

 on the sick in Ditchingham and adjacent parishes. I trust 

 that the usual money difficulties may be overcome, for I am 

 convinced that these properly trained and qualified nurses are one 

 of the greatest boons that can be bestowed upon a rural district. 

 Within my own experience in this village alone, I know of several 

 cases in which the patients have died for the lack of timely 

 ministrations from such a person, and to-day the doctor who was in 

 the chair gave other instances. If the mopey which is so often 

 taken from the proceeds of ancient charities, such as we have in 

 this place, to be distributed in the form of coals, were devoted 

 to this end, it would, in my view, be far more advantageously 

 employed. 



