140 The Country Parson, 



before an enormous fire-place, where, winter and summer, 

 the logs were smouldering on the dogs. The party consisted 

 of his brother-in-law the churchwarden, " Varmer Guy," 

 who could never get within two feet of the table, owing to 

 his corporation, a nephew or two, the parson and myself, 

 and old Charlotte, who cooked the dinner, waited and 

 joined in the conversation, and cheered us on. The table- 

 cloth was like the driven snow, and, if j^ou please, there 

 were heavy silver spoons and forks for the visitors ; and as 

 to the dinner, it was so good that on the night before old 

 Jemmy's party we used to sit up very late so as to ensure 

 sleeping till eleven the next morning, in time for a tub, a 

 cup of cofiee and a pipe, but no breakfast ; for it would have 

 been a shame to have gone without an appetite. As to 

 roast S23are-rib3, chines, chickens, ducks, asparagus, peas, 

 and all the best farm and garden produce, gooseberry 

 pudding, and cream, the table literally groaned ; but the 

 wary and wise kept a place for the boiled ox-beef — the 

 Martinmas beef, I presume, which Macaulay speaks of — 

 beef which had been kept in pickle and preserved for months. 

 Probably it was the beef of oxen which had been at the 

 plough and fatted, but nothing ever beat it. And the 

 wise and wary likewise held aloof from the strong beer, 

 and took the lighter ale, and reserved themselves for one 

 glass of the celebrated home-brewed, the colour of sherry, 

 which flared like brandy in the fire, with some cheese which 

 was worthy of the feast. And when a man had done his 

 duty by all this, if he was not content with a quiet smoke 

 in an arm-chair and one more glass of the strong beer, he 

 did not deserve to live — that's all. 



Although, especially as regarded education, things are 

 changed now, much of the primitiveness still remains. 

 " How do you manage to get on with everyone so well ? " I 

 asked the parson — who is still vicar — not very long ago, 



