76 A CONCEITED MAN, AND 



deserved." " I won't deny saying so," said 

 he; " but I never meant to hurt you." 

 " Come," said our minister, " shake hands, 

 shake hands, and be friends again. "When 

 you've a parcel of rubbish in your gardens, 

 neither fit for dung or to burn, what do you 

 do with it, eh, Gregory ?" " Why, bury it," 

 said I; and we both laughed and shook hands, 

 for there was no helping it ; for the quarrel 

 was just like the blacksmith's forge you 

 pull the handle, and it blazes up, and the 

 more you pull, the fiercer it burns ; but 

 only let the handle alone, and it's soon 

 out. " Now," said the minister, " I know I 

 shall have a handsome church." And when 

 Christmas-day came, our rector preached ; 

 and he told the curate after, it did his heart 

 good to see such a church full of honest-look- 

 ing, hard-working people and their wives, and 

 to see all the seats and windows look so season- 

 able with holly and evergreens. 



There was a gardener came into our vil- 

 lage one spring, and it was nothing uncom- 

 mon he came about ; for it was only to be 

 married to a young woman that belonged to 

 our parts, and had been a fellow-servant of 

 his. I can't quite see what makes all the 



