44 



MINISTRY AT STAND. 



[Chap. III. 



came to keep house for him, which she continued to do till 

 her marriage, eight years afterwards. An old friend from 

 Bristol accompanied her, who, however, did not long remain 

 at Stand ; and his sister, during part of her stay there, had one 

 or two pupils to board with her at the parsonage. Philip felt 

 it "very funny having a house of one's own, and driving in 

 nails just where one likes," and "to feel one's self the head 

 of a family of four, and to see one's name on the kitchen 

 towels, which is, to me, one of the most wonderful parts of the 

 business ! " He gives a minute description of what may be 

 seen in his house, from his cabinet opposite the dining-room 

 fire, to the blue-bottles and the net to catch them in the larder. 

 Then, outside, the lime-tree in the most luxuriant flower, 

 perfuming the whole neighbourhood ; the garden, with its fruit- 

 trees and bushes, and roses and carnations. "A great part 

 of it has got weeded by the law of pulling up a weed for every 

 gooseberry eaten." He is full of delight at the beauty of the 

 neighbourhood and the extensive prospects. The atmosphere 

 was then unusually clear: "we can see by the absence of 

 smoke that there has been hardly anything done at Manchester, 

 Bury, Bolton, Oldham, and all intermediate places." 



There was a general "turn-out;" in his immediate neigh- 

 bourhood they were pretty quiet, though there was some 

 fighting, not far off. " They are going to let some few people 

 go to work to-day, as is evident from the painter coming. He 

 tried to come last week, but was turned back. We are not 

 alarmed ourselves, and have not suffered, except that we find 

 it very difficult to refuse starving women, especially as they 

 won't give them anything from the parish. They won't even 

 let dressmakers work ; only farmers and bakers, and then they 

 eat their stuff. They are beginning to split about the Charter, 

 and I hope it will soon come to an end. How dependent 

 we are upon others ! " The week before, he had written to 

 Mr. G. Buckton : " We have had a sad week here, and a most 

 senseless mobbing on the part of the working-men, as they will 

 soon find to their cost. They politely go up to the people — 

 say they don't want to frighten them, but they should like some 



