AN ODD BILL. 205 



" stop" I had put up clown ; tlie reply to this was, 

 that if I caught him at it I would fling liini into the 

 water. He did not pull it down ; and I kept the lake 

 full of trout during my residence there of two years. 

 I had originally taken the place on a lease for five or 

 seven years ; but my landlord behaved so ill, and in- 

 fracted the agreement to such an extent, that we went 

 to law, and I quashed the undertaking at the expi- 

 ration of the second year. 



In any building which I undertook at TefFont, and 

 there was no place fit to put a decently nurtured dog 

 in when I came there, he bound himself to find stone 

 and mortar on my paying for the labour. On the 

 threat of flinging him into the water if he pulled 

 down the " stop " put against the trout, he pretended 

 anger, and sent to me to say he would supply my 

 house with butter and cream from his farm no more, 

 demanding instant payment for the week that was 

 owing. I have not the slightest doubt that he thought 

 that I should really be angr}^, and pay his bill in 

 haste, without looking at it. I did look at it, though ; 

 and was astounded at the charge for a week's dairy. 

 On looking closely into the "items" I discovered that, 

 slipped in between the charges for cream and butter, 

 was the amount of stone and mortar he had found as 

 per agreement for the improvements I had made. This 

 attempt at imposition was broadly obliterated by my 

 pen, and my servant called, money in hand, in ex- 

 change for a receipt for the dairy-charge alone. 

 Having quashed the original lease on my quitting the 

 place at the end of the second year, my landlord sent 

 me in a charge for undue wear and tear and dilapi- 

 dation ; and in the same bill, reader ! — thou wilt never 

 believe it, — was a charge to the amount, I think, of 



