LOCAL SUPERSTITIONS. 243 



But what the old fellow had nearest his heart 



Was his crdsset — he could talk ,0 



Upon that subject till dawn, 



While around him we were all convulsed with laughter. 



It was his book : ah ! how he read it ! 



And wasn't the old chap bright under his rust ! 



Didn't he know a thing or two ! On my faith, even the cat howled at 



hearing him, 

 At least when the old fellow trod on its tail. 



If it (the crdsset) burnt blue, next day there would be wind ; 



If green, there surely were witches on the road. 



A head or scab (on the wick) denoted an inviter to a funeral, 



And a winding-sheet was a sign of ghosts. 20 



If, when it was snuffed or trimmed, 



A spark happened to fly from it, 



Then for the person towards whom it flew 



William was sure that it portended news. 



But if the candle, instead of the old crdsset, 



Came upon the table when the oil ran short, 



With our ah ! ah ! if it blew hard enough, 



The very tiles on the roof would clatter. 



There never was a prophet in those blessed old times 



Who so clearly saw into the visions of a dream 30 



As did William in the way in which the mutton-suet dribbled, 



As it does when the strong north wind is raging. 



At other times, when seated without any other light 



Than that of a small flickering fire, the old man would read to us without 



difficulty, 

 In the very coal, red, or black, or yellow, or brown, 

 What would happen to us during the week. 

 If a relation or neighbour was dying, 

 Out from the flame he made the coffin to fly ; 

 If a letter or a frieud was expected from abroad, 

 He would show (in the grate) the vessel that was bringing the one or the 



other. 40 



I may also mention another object whose every move- 

 ment was fraught with intelligence 01 what was to happen in 

 a given time — this was, and still is, the domestic cat. For 

 instance, if it was seen washing its face with its paw in the 

 morning, some strange visitor would be sure to call during 

 the day ; if at night, then the stranger would come on the 

 morrow. But for the prediction to come true it was necessary 

 that the cat should be a female, and that its paw, in washing, 

 should pass quite over its ear. Moreover, if the cat washed 

 itself on the right ear, the visitor would be a man, if on the 

 left, a woman. 



I should scarcely end were I to tell you all that I have 

 seen and heard on this subject. But, perhaps the most fruit- 

 ful source of omens, signs, and warnings were dreams. Yet 

 these were mostly interpreted by contraries, like that of the 



