78 THE MANSE GARDEN. 



whilst you are judging that your fruit has not quite 

 attained the mellowness that is wholesome for your 

 stomach, he is busy eating; and that he has no 

 complaint of acidity he proves by a readiness to fall 

 upon you/ plums when he has done with your cher- 

 ries. Thus, differing from you only a little as to the 

 nice point of perfect ripeness, he makes the round of 

 your several crops, and is about to conclude his har- 

 vest of each sort just when you had thoughts of 

 beginning yours. Finding my sooty foe too many 

 for me that he was ready enough to quaff, in cherry 

 juice, " a good conclusion to the harvest," but never 

 once to think of the sentiment that " fair play is a 

 jewel," I thought of saluting him with a little sparrow 

 hail, of which, on making the attempt, I observed 

 no further effect than the provoking of that peculiar 

 chatter by which he is wont to express his disappro- 

 bation as often as he is disturbed in his interesting 

 avocation. In this I felt some sympathy with my 

 antagonist, perceiving that he regarded the hail not 

 otherwise than I have done certain visitors who had as 

 little to say, although they did not fail to make havoc 

 of time and hinderance of important duty. He lost 

 no feathers, but merely an hour of harvest work : 

 and yet the loss was more apparent than real; for, 

 getting thereby a rest for rumination and whetting 

 of teeth, he resumed, as other martyrs to small hail 

 must do, his beloved task, and with redoubled quick- 

 ness soon made amends for all his loss. Doubting 

 whether my aim might not be too erring, I inquired 

 of an old man, who was known to the premises for 

 half a century, what in former times had been done 

 with an enemy so untractable and persevering. Upon 



