36 I LOSE AND LEAVE MY PLACE. 



Bible that night, as I always used to do ; 

 but my wife took the book, and said, "The 

 more trouble, the more need of something to 

 mend it." But, poor thing, her voice was 

 so choky, I couldn't have understood her if 

 I'd listened, which I couldn't do at all. 



Time never went faster than it did that 

 black month. I couldn't hear of any place ; 

 or, if I did, I couldn't get it ; for 'twas not 

 easy to get one after leaving our squire. 

 People always thought there must be some- 

 thing wrong, though I showed a good cha- 

 racter from him ; and at last I was obliged 

 to turn out of my happy home into a bit of 

 a cottage in the village. I made it as late 

 as I could before we went in ; and how 

 strangely I did feel, as the children ran up 

 and down the rickety old stairs, so pleased 

 with a new place ; and the canary sung so 

 loud, whilst our hearts were so heavy ! Next 

 morning I got up early, and dug up the bit 

 of garden, and put that to rights, and tied 

 in the honeysuckle in front of the house ; 

 and my wife, she cleaned the windows, and 

 made all as tidy as we could ; for we wanted 

 people to see that we weren't idle folks, 

 though I was out of place. I let the little 



