68 



MY LIFE 



[Chap. 



means of a very simple loop-stitch. A much superior plan 

 was to obtain from the tan-yard some partly tanned sac- 

 shaped pieces of calf-skin which were of just the size required 

 for a small-sized cricket-ball. These were stretched over the 

 ball, stitched up closely on the one side, the joint rubbed 

 down smooth, and by its partial contraction when drying 

 an excellent leather-covered ball was made, which at first 

 was hairy outside, but this soon wore off. In this way, at a 

 cost of about twopence or threepence, we had as good a ball 

 as one which cost us a shilling to buy, and which served us 

 well for our boyish games at cricket. 



Other house occupations which employed much of our 

 spare time in wet weather and in winter were the making 

 of cherry-stone chains and bread-seals. For the former we 

 collected some hundreds of cherry-stones in the season. 

 These, with much labour and scraping of fingers, were ground 

 down on each side till only a ring of suitable thickness was 

 left. The rings were then soaked in water for some days, 

 which both cleaned and softened them, so that with a sharp 

 pen-knife they could be cut through, and by carefully expand- 

 ing them the next ring could be slipped in, the joint closing 

 up so as to be scarcely, if at all, visible. When nicely 

 cleaned, and if made from stones of nearly uniform size, these 

 chains made very pretty and useful watch-guards, or even 

 necklaces for little girls of our acquaintance. 



Bread-seals were easier to make, and were more interest- 

 ing in their results. In those ante-penny-postage days 

 envelopes were unknown, as one of the rules of the post-ofiice 

 was that each letter must consist of a single sheet, any 

 separate piece of paper either enclosed or outside constituting 

 it a double letter with double postage. Almost every letter, 

 therefore, was sealed, and many of them had either coats-of- 

 arms, crests, heads, or mottoes, so that besides the contents, 

 which were, perhaps, only of importance to the recipient, 

 the seal would often interest the whole family. In such a 

 case we begged for the seal to be carefully cut round so that 

 we might make a copy of it. To do this we required only a 

 piece of the crumb of new bread, and with cleanly washed 



