2i6 ON SURREY HILLS. 



sidered necessary. It is a recognised fact that when 

 you once begin to pull old places to pieces and to 

 patch them up, you hardly know where to stop. It 

 was so in this case, and a number of workmen — 

 myself with them — were necessarily thrown for a 

 considerable time into that hamlet, where strangers 

 were an extraordinary novelty. 



Where to lodge was the consideration. The land- 

 lady of the inn, .being evidently a nice motherly old 

 soul, we agreed to go there all together, if she would 

 put us up. She gladly consented to give us her 

 largest room to ourselves ; there was still ample room 

 for her limited regular customers. For about a week 

 all went on quietly ; but after that time the natives 

 who frequented her house began to grumble about 

 "them 'ere dandy-lookin' fellers hevin' nigh all the 

 house atwixt 'em. They waun't a-goin' to hev it, 

 they waun't." 



This was all put down as mere vapouring, and no 

 one was in the least upset by it. Three days later, 

 when we had all settled down comfortably for the 

 evening, a rude voice was heard addressing some one 

 of his own kind in the neighbouring room : " Tell 'ee 

 what, us hed best hustle that 'ere lot out, neck an' 



