TUE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, May 1, 1860. 
saying, “ Please to step in, sir ; master I know idn’fc far—do ’co 
sit down at the same time leading the way into a nieo little 
drawing-room, and presenting me with a chair, dusting tho seat 
with her check apron all the while—needless labour, by-the-by ; 
it had undergone the same process all over at six this very 
morning. 
Before much time had passed in scrutinising a number of 
beautifully executed pencil and coloured crayon drawings set in 
frames embossed with leather-work. Mat himself hobbled in from 
the vegetable garden. It appears that a correct description of 
ms had been given by the girl, and knowing of my return from 
abroad, he made sure, as he said, of his man; and audibly 
mumbling all along the passage as he advanced, “ Old Tom for a 
guinea, old Tom for a guinea,” he bounced into the room with 
his usual hearty laugh, exclaiming, “And so it is by Jingo!” 
His compliments on my good looks were not over-exhilirating. 
He certainly hi that respect had the decided advantage of me, 
for in truth time had peppered my locks as well as thinned them; 
whilst friend Mat, with the exception of a slight baldness on the 
crown of the head, and a little puckering at the comers of the 
eyes (yclept crows’ feet), looked younger than ever, llis lame¬ 
ness, the result of an inflammation of the hip-joint and incurable, 
a hindrance to any active exercise, became at times a cause of 
indigestion, biliousness, and great nervous irritability; but he 
had resources now, he said, and didn’t vex about them as he 
Used to years ago. “ Something better to think about. ’T wont 
pay always grumbling—makes people so confoundedly surly and 
ugly, and then, you know, folks won’t come near you ; and 
reading all day long, stewing in-doors, sets one’s brains all of a 
whiz, that old coup cle soleil (sun stroke), wo’n’t have it on any 
terms.” 
“ What resources, Mat, have you so proof against ennui and 
old age?” I inquired. 
“ Come and see.” Ho led the way, chuckling, to a little room 
at the rear of the cottage. “ Come and see the pets firstand 
pushing open the door, I perceived a lady and three remarkably 
itme gilds, seated at a table with books and slates, &c. ; the latter 
evidently undergoing the routine of their daily tasks—in truth 
being instructed by their mother, a most amiable little woman, 
and a quondam friend in days “lang syne,” for Mat had married 
ike widow of my old chum, Captain-. 
After mutual greeting and sundry scoldings for bringing me 
into such a rummagy room with the children so untidy, we 
beat a decent retreat. “ There, old fellow,” and Mat winked as 
if to clench what he said, “ that wife of mine has saved my life. 
I was obliged, when courting, do you know, to do all sorts of 
rummy things—read, draw, tend the fowls, weed the garden, go 
and gather Ferns and wild flowers, and tell all about them too, 
Or I’m certain my Mary would never have had me. All out of 
my way, you’ll say. I took to most of the tasks very kindly, 
except the Fern and flower gathering. My old leg cried peecavi 
most vilely, and didn’t like the work at all. However, tho exer¬ 
cise, doubtless, did me a power of good, and that, poor dear, she 
knew. Come along 5” and through a side door wo entered a 
nicely-arranged walled kitchen and fruit garden. This evidently 
was Mat’s hobby, and it was here he had been employed when 
called in by his visitor, and he not a little proudly pointed to his 
trees as samples of successful pruning. 
All of a sudden we heard a dreadful scrimmage amongst some 
fowls very near. Off Mat shuffled, and I after him, to an oppo¬ 
site door. Sundry ejaculations escaping from my guide not quite 
comforting to a spitish little banty he seemed angry with, wo 
entered a small but well-arranged poultry parterre, merely a 
piece railed off from a court with some lean-to sheds, still it 
was neat, and the fowls looked healthy, clean, and happy ; all 
but the banty, which had got caught in some wires, setting the 
birds of every degree chuckling (the servants called it chockling) 
most lustily. “ Here,” exclaimed an elderly female, the cook, 
“the dratted little pest, he’s at it again. There’s no peace in 
this chap. If he aint tho most obstrepelous little rascal I ever 
see. Do’ce, maister, giv ’en away to little Jonny up at the pike ; 
lie aint no good here. What’e say, maister ? shall I put the two 
hens with’en, and send’em up?” The answer, as Betty well 
knew, was “ Well, well, as he is such a nuisance, ask your mis¬ 
tress, and if she says yes, it’s all right.” 
We were about to quit the yard by a short cut to the front of 
the cottage when desired to join Mrs -in a field adjoining 
the premises, all of a sudden we heard the most dreadful crash 
conceivable—something like a light between the pots and kettles; 
and, indeed, so it was, for the three girls and the servants were 
trying to make a swarm of bees settle through the agency of 
banging every rowable tiling together—viz., a poker and kettle, a 
rolling-pin and milk-pan, a pestle and mortar, and one had a bell 
in one hand and a pair of tongs in the other. Nothing living could 
withstand this inducement, or, rather, nothing could live under 
this inducement. 'The runaways were already settled on the low 
bough of a Nut tree, and underwent tho process at the proper 
time of shaking and securing in a hive of straw well smeared 
inside with honey and sweet heibs. We only saw the prelimi¬ 
naries, as Mrs.- assured us that with confidence she could 
leave the rest of tho matter to Betty. 
A first bell announced the time for dinner to be in a quarter of 
an hour; so, tiddyvating myself in master’s dressing-room, and 
looking about me to make up the time, I joined the drawing¬ 
room exactly as tho second bell began its iron call, and taking 
the hostess on my wing, escovted her to the head of the tablp, 
seating myself beside her. Mat with his three merry little girls 
disposed of themselves in their usual places, and, with a prayer 
from the youngest before partaking of the creature comforts, we 
awaited the removal of the covers. Mat telegraphed to his wife, 
and looking at me on bringing to view the first dish, which had the 
honour of being the bearer of some splendid trout, exclaimed, 
“ There, old fellow, there’s another of my resources !” and capital 
they were, and the brown bread, too, so good. A remove brought 
a couple of fino ducks, with green Peas and other vegetables from 
his garden. 
“Are these some more resources ? ” I inquired. 
“ Yes, yes,” nodded Mat; “ and let mo ask you to take some of 
my liquid resource in this bottle;” and, assuring me it was only 
cider, I was presented with some equal to champagne, all from his 
own orchard ; a rolly-polly pudding made from a resource of Mrs. 
Mat’s ; a cream cheese ditto; a bottle of green Gooseberry wine 
and biscuits ditto completed the list. The eldest child now gavo 
God thanks on behalf of us all for the blessings we had enjoyed, 
and so ended our meal. The dessert consisted of preserved fruits, 
well-stored Filberts, and a bottle of old home-made wine, of what 
kind the maker herself scarcely knew; it was particularly fine, 
not too sweet. 
Our conversation led to scenes around us. “Well, in truth,” 
propounded Mat, “ people would think me a sad lazy fellow ; 
but, indeed, I am not. Lots to do in this acre and a half of 
ground. We are never idle. There’s the flower garden, the 
kitchen garden, the fowls, the place shipped up for the Ferns, 
the bees, &c. Now, talking of bees, you can’t think what a 
pleasure they were to me last spring when I lay a-bed some six 
weeks in a rheumatic attack—the chaps dodging in and about 
their hives, and coming home at certain times. 1 could see them 
at an opposite window—a kind of cheese-room which my wife had 
no use for, and fitted up for her pets. ’Pon my word, ’tis won¬ 
derful how contented one becomes with the study of domesticated 
insects and animals. I never thought much of anything till I 
married; a bee, a fowl, a flower, a Fern, had no charms for me. 
In fact, I did n’t understand them ; but now these are re¬ 
sources never tiring—something always to look forward to, and 
anticipate.” 
So long a ride before me rendered my absence almost abrupt, 
as also, you’ll say, the end of my narrative. I parted from these 
kind folk, having visited them with a heavy heart, and leaving 
them, after passing the happiest day in my life, with the lightest. 
All the way home I could not but ponder over the happiness of 
Mat and his resources. All were out of the dull routine of those 
amusements and resources which man builds for mortals. The 
feverishness of the world’s giddy round, the vexatious disap- 
poinlments, and heartburnings of trivial little nonsenses making 
up the routine of gay life never degenerate the nature, insult 
the intellect, or acerb the temper of those whose minds have 
been calmed down by the study of God’s resources for man s 
happiness ; and the intervals of joy and contemplation clipped 
from the busy routine of carrrying out their ever-varying delights 
are such as confer on man happiness as perfect as earthly bliss 
can be.—W. H., Exeter. 
Duration of tiie Chrysalis Stage of the Butterfly.— 
The duration of the chrysalis stage, like that of the egg, is 
extremely variable, and dependent on diflerence of temperature. 
As an instance of this, one of our common butterflies has been 
known to pass only seven or eight days in the chrysalis state; 
this would be in the heat of summer. Then, in the spring, the 
change occupies a fortnight; but when the caterpillar enters the 
