BY THE MILL-STREAM. 137 



talk pretty loud about effect and tones all dog- 

 Latin to me ; more talk than work, a lump of it ! 

 It worked me a bit to hear so much jaw going on. 

 I thought to myself, If you go on at this rate you'll 

 paint the old mill to death, and no mistake about 

 it ! So I just went round to the yard and untied 

 my dog. When he come here, as it might be, I 

 throwed a stick in towards that lot, and he landed 

 close to 'em and shook himself. That ' toned ' 'em 

 middlin', and they used words which sounded rough 

 to me, considerin' they wore spectacles. They 

 haven't been here since." 



Before I had time to reply to this, a man calls 

 the miller on one side and says something which 

 does not reach me. 



Returning to me, he says, " Yes, you can go ; my 

 man knows you, and as he is going down some of 

 the way, he will show you where my ground runs 

 to." 



"Thank you." 



" Oh, you are welcome to go. or you would not 

 have got leave, I can tell you ! " 



My new companion smiled, and said, " Yes, 

 mister, I have seen you before ; the people you 



