A JOURNAL KEPT IN THE COUNTRY. 2 1/ 



boy ; you see they'd only have the Sunday service, 

 and not alias that. When I was at Bessingworth, my 

 master was churchwarden. There wasn't no regular 

 parson then sometimes we'd have one, and some- 

 times another. I've known my master and the old 

 perrish-clerk set off on horseback early on a Sunday 

 morning to find some one to take the prayers. The 

 one we had mostly came over from Lewes ; he used 

 to drive in his own trap, and when he got to the toll- 

 gate that used to stand near the Church, he'd alias 

 have a row with the gatekeeper, 'cause he wanted to 

 go through free, being on duty like ; but the keeper 

 he wouldn't have it, 'cause he wasn't the reg'lar parson 

 of the place. I rec'lec* one Sunday when the school- 

 children was a-coming by, they was at it ; and the 

 parson he off with his coat and threw it in the trap, 

 and the gatekeeper was ready for a bit of fun, and 

 they had a pretty tidy fight out there in the middle of 

 the road. People wasn't near so strict as they be now. 

 I rec'lec' old Muster Best, at what used to be the 

 Hall what they calls Arn'ton Park now. Ah ! there 

 was alterations when he died ! They turned the deer 

 out of the park ; one old 'un bolted right through the 

 village and got into the pond. The old gen'lman kept 

 a pack of hounds, four or five couple not safe to go 

 near the house it wasn't and a huntsman. After he 



