EYES AND NO EYES 29 
river-side, leaving just the stems. This is done every 
five or six years, as the case may need. Unfortu- 
nately, he arrived at the place just as the two jobs had 
been completed. Hither and thither he rushed, until 
someone asked him if he had lost anything, or if he 
were looking for someone. Then he gave full vent to 
his injured feelings ; he said, in fact, that he had been 
swindled that the writer had drawn very largely 
on a very fertile imagination. This was perfectly 
unintelligible to men who knew nothing about such a 
book having been written. One looked at the other, 
and then touched his forehead, muttering 'Balmy.' 
This the gentleman heard, and naturally resented. 
' I have been grossly imposed upon ; some 
people's geese are swans. Where is the old weir ? > 
he asked. 
'Just been pulled down and a new un built. 
Don't ye see it ? ' 
' Why has it been pulled down ? ' 
' Well, if you ask us, they pulled the old un down 
to build the new un. Any fool can see that.' 
* But what a complete swindle there are no trees 
here ! ' 
' Maybe you wants to buy the timber and the 
faggots. If ye do, ye needn't ^ut yerself in a 
tantrum ; none of it ain't sold yet.' 
