Christmas Eve in a Punt. 227 



mishap by a succession of unintentional backhanders, but his 

 conversation, by reason of its very cheerfulness, had that 

 effect upon Thornbury. Under the rugs, the wind shriek- 

 ing and the snow sweeping and circling as much as ever, he 

 would break out thus, in the gentlest of tones — 



" Sorry, old fellow, about the yule log. We're bound to 

 miss that, anyhow. It is, as I think the wife told you, a 

 particular custom of ours. The yule log orthodox might be 

 either of oak or ash; but in the olden time it was the fashion 

 to light it on Christmas Day, keep, it burning for an hour, 

 then take it off and preserve it for the following year. We 

 had a great discussion a few years ago as to. whether we 

 should have oak or ash, and resolved, in full household 

 session, to burn, as a compromise,, an ashen log on Christ- 

 mas Eve, and an oaken billet on Christmas Day. There's a 

 capital log for to-night, but I know they won't put it on if we 

 are not there. Why don't you smoke ? " 



Then they would smoke through holes in the wrappers, 

 and after a decent interval of silence the forgiving victim 

 would resume — 



"That collection of mine is looking up famously, and 

 Alice gives me most valuable help in the artistic furnishing 

 of the cases. Since you were here last I've set up the 

 osprey, marsh harrier, Arctic tern, knot, Bewick swan, 

 Temminck's stint, and a lovely bean goose." 



"Oh! hang your goose!" cried Thornbury; "how the 

 dickens can you think of anything at all now ? We shall 

 die on this infernal waste of water." 



" Well, not immediately at any cost, if we can help it. 

 There is room, though, to fear being frozen in ; then we can 

 get ashore on the ice. At present we are driving, slow but 

 sure, to the lower end of the broad ; twenty to one, if we 

 don't run ashore, that we slip into the next broad, and so on 



