OUR OPENING SUBJECT. 5 



again brought to the surface : a shrill sound broke upon the 

 stillness ; another chorus, within the house, succeeded to the 

 hushed peal without. The Crickets, from the kitchen below, 

 were uplifting their chirping strains to salute, in full concert, 

 the new-come year. We were at no loss, now, for at least 

 one cheerful subject wherewith to commence our Episodes. 

 Bless their merry voices for the opportune suggestion ! Forth- 

 with, we took up, not our pen but our candle, and descended 

 to the lower regions, of which we found our chirpers left in sole 

 possession. The noisy varlets broke off, instanter, in their song, 

 and, each to his hole or cranny, scampered off at our approach ; 

 but we captured a straggler in the very act of draining the 

 milk-pot, and carried him off to our parlour fire-side for the 

 cultivation of a more intimate acquaintance, and with a view to 

 making him as well known to our readers, by sight, as he, 

 or rather his merry fraternity are likely to be already by 

 sound. Finish thy song there, little Master ! and, " with what 

 appetite thou mayest," thy supper too ! said we, as we placed 

 our lean lank-bodied prisoner beneath a tumbler, under which 

 we were so merciful as to insert a few crumbs of bread, one 

 of the Cricket's favourite repasts. Aye, leap as thou wilt, 

 and climb against gravity up the smooth walls of thy crystal 

 prison, there thou shalt abide till we have taken thy portrait. 

 Yes, queer creature as thou art ! thy angular figure and round 

 physiognomy shall be exhibited in our first vignette. Thou 

 shalt be honoured as our opening subject, and if thy name 

 had not served already the purpose of one, whose sympathy 

 with thy merry chirrup has been shared by thousands, thou 

 shouldst have given a title to our book, like " The Bee' 

 and other seekers and gatherers of Sweets ! Thou art, in truth, 

 an omnium-gatherer, nothing comes amiss to thy convenient 

 appetite, and variety must be the character of the feast we 

 would provide, no less than of that which thou lovest to 

 devour. True, as we have said, thou art not particular, " scum- 

 mings of pots, sweepings, bread, yeast, flesh and fat of broth," 



