SEVENTH EMPTYING 125. 



chattels he disappeared with the agility of a sixty-year-old 

 antelope behind the angle of the house, and from this station 

 bobbed his head round the corner and thus addressed the 

 astonished dame just as she turned the key in the door : 

 " I beg your pardon, madam," and the old lady was more 

 than a little astonished to see an agitated face bobbing round 

 the wall of her cottage. Taking steps towards him for the 

 purpose of discovering what was going on she was thus 

 stopped : " Do not for goodness sake come here," said the 

 head of the invisible body. " Whatever are you doing 

 there ?" said she. " Well," was the answer, " I have been 

 fishing, and I have fallen into the river and am very wet, 

 and as there was nobody at home I have taken my things 

 off for fear of catching cold, and I want to know if you 

 would be good enough to lend me a pair of trousers ?" " Eh ! 

 bless ye, No," said the old lady, " I've been a widdy these forty 

 years, and I have not such a thing about the place." The 

 head disappeared round the corner, and slowly and solemnly,, 

 hidden by the wall of the house, did the owner of it proceed 

 to re-invest himself in his wet clothing, and, having done so, 

 he emerged into full view of the old lady, who sympathised 

 with him in his trouble and laughed heartily. She said she 

 thought there was a man at a house about half a mile off, 

 and if my friend did not mind going there she was sure they 

 would do everything they could to help him. The direction 

 of the house having been fully pointed out, he set forth and 

 duly arrived. Being himself six feet in height and a very 

 heavy man, he was considerably disheartened to behold the 

 proprietor of this establishment a man of about five feet one 

 inch, and weighing about seven stones. One glance at the 

 owner's garments satisfied the angler there was no room 

 there, and his hopes again subsided. In the end, however, 

 the proprietor of the cottage put him to bed, dried his 

 clothes, and had a good laugh at the story of the visit to 

 Widow Jones. 



