44 CHRONICLES OF A CLAY FARM. 



interruptingly : " but what's that what have you 

 got there?" . 



" This, sir ? Lor 5 blesh ye ! this is the earth where 

 that ould vixen lived as gave you such a run last 

 winter : I've know'd a litter o' seven whelps reared in 

 this hole, an' beared 'em a yelping an' howling o' the 

 summer evenings as if the' wondered when upon airth 

 cub 'unting 'ould begin !" 



This was the climax, usually. No martyr ever 

 suffered more than I used to carry home to breakfast 

 imo sub pectore, by way of travesty to my over-night's 

 imaginative enjoyment at the paper-prospect of large 

 inclosures and unimpeded plough-shares. 



But the day of compensation came at last; and 

 with it came my first discovery of the extraordinary 

 sheep-sightedness of spade-and-mattock-wielding hu- 

 manity. Not till the fence was clear away, bank, 

 thorns, pollards, ash-trees, rabbit-holes, fox-earths, 

 and all, did I ever hear the exclamation 



" Well ! this is a wonderful alteration to be sure ; 

 why, I never thought to see it look in this way ! It's 

 quite a beautiful field now !" 



' One cheer for THE MAP after all !' quoth I to my- 

 self, as at next candle-light, down I sat again over the 

 bird's-eye view of acres which I now began to find 



