160 CHRONICLES OF A CLAY FABM. 



"Wheat on an Oat-stubble ! He brings back 



manure, I suppose ! " 



" Ay, for the Barley-crop ; or Oats again, may 

 be : it 's all the same : he counts laoTc'ards ; he 

 begins with the grain, and ends with no he never 

 comes to the green. He says stems pay quicker 

 than roots / and Stock 's expensive ; so he starts at 

 once with the high figures though, my life! 'tis 

 but a low 'un now, for that matter. Do you think, 

 Sir, it '11 ever get up again ? " 



"The old question again! I'm afraid, Greening, 

 you 'd never hear out the answer, even if I could 

 give it. Sharp questioners are impatient listeners." 



" Oh ! trust me for that : if you 'd spare me the 

 val'e of a half-hour's walk through those Swedes 

 again, (I should like to see how the dibbed ones get 

 on,) I think I can take all you'll give, and ask -for 

 more after." 



" Oh, you are most welcome to see the Swedes : 

 you'll come round to the dibbing, depend on it, and 

 when we 've done there " 



"I shall come round to something else! Ah! 

 that's capital! No, no, no!" said Mr. Greening, 

 laughing and suddenly bending his pony's shaggy 

 neck with a jerk of both reins toward the street 

 that led into the cattle fair, for they had reached 



