descending at full speed. But all 'nurse's' pleasures had their antithesis; for when she perceived the two two legg'd animals dyed a thorough blue, she concluded that for some days, Jack's face would set the united powers of soap and water, and sponge at defiance; and suppressing all expressions of pleasure at his safety, she began rating him selon sa regle'—'lauk! lauk! lauk! master Jack, what will your Grandmamma say to this? you will be ordered home and well flogged, as you richly deserve you 'good-for-nothing ruffian!'

Well then nurse, I would rather be well flogged than hear you 'call my grandmother Gran-ma-ma,' I hate the girlish word Granma-ma-can't you say Grandmother? and off trotted the younker as fast as Neptune could carry him.

When night approached, the wash-tub and its accompaniments were in requisition; and as a proof of her anger, nurse had substituted Jack's abhorrence, yellow soap, for his favorite castile; for she thought the former the most efficacious in restoring his face, if scouring could effect it, to its pristine complexion but the instant the exchange caught his eye, his dormant evervescence was instantly in action. Are you going to wash me with that nasty yellow soap ?-do you 'nurse' want to make me smell like a turpentine cask?-Mrs. Honor insisted-Jack demurred,-upset the wash-tub over the old woman's clean apron, gown, and understandings—in fact, set her and the kitchen afloat, and then stealing cautiously behind the patriarch of the family, he snatched a bit of lighted stick from the fire unobserved, but in his haste ran against the scullery maid, who had just laid a furze faggot upon the nurse's vacant seat in order to heat the oven, and nearly pitched her head foremost against the boiling 'crock.' In the twinkling of an eye the mischievous urchin touched the train he had adroitly laid in the morning,' the projecting end of which could only be seen by himself, and instantly retreated behind the oven, a place consecrated to all the great coats, cloaks, hats, and bonnets of the family.

'Well then if I dont smell gunpowder then there!! exclaimed one. 'So do I too!!'-a second,- Gunpowder to be sure,' said a

third-Gunpowder! where? where? ejaculated 'nurse,' in evident alarm, BANG!-and such a 'bang' neither Llantilham's kitchen nor manor house in the most troublesome times had ever till then resounded with!-down went dishes, plates, trenchers-smash went into never-to-be-patched-again pieces those invaluable relics of centuries past, the Drake and Raleigh punch bowls !-into a thousand atoms fell clock-case-glass and dial plate !—crash went all the latticed windows, and innumerable diamond panes shaken from their leaden supports covered the adjoining garden-from the chimley,' descended bushels of long collected soot, and all the 'brath in the crock' was spoiled by the admixture, the settle and furze faggot had vanished; but the floor, tables, chairs, dresser, and every nook and cranny where a splinter could lodge, bore testimony to the strength of the powder and the execution of the mine; for all, (without however the slightest injury to any individual,) were covered with their remains.

'What is become of young master Jack?' was the general inquiry, Oh he be blowed up,' said the scullery maid, not forgetting her own narrow escape from embracing the crock as he hastily passed, or rather ran against her, 'I zeed en vy up the chimley,' 'Oh Jemminy, Jemminy, cry-oh cry,' exclaimed old Mrs. Honor, in undissembled agony, 'that I should ever have lived to seen him come to this!!'-'who could have left such a barrel of gunpowder so near the fire? oh Lord! oh Lord!' and the old soul actually fainted and no mistake! Jack,' who began to think matters had gone far enough-but in fact he had expected very little more than a mere bounce, for he had not put a larger quantity of gunpowder into the mine he had made, than he had been accustomed to screw up in a brown paper and throw into the fire, occasionally of an evening, for the amusement of the sitters round the kitchen hearth-quitted his hiding place and appeared before the bewildered groupe, and to the indiscribable joy of all the inmates at the frightened scullery maid's mistake, who was still insisting upon having seen him 'vly up the chimley.' It was at length agreed nem-con-that some miner employed in blasting the

rocks for the foundation of the new quay house,' must have accidently left the gunpowder so near the settle, that the settle had been 'witched,' and was best out of the way,-in all which, 'Jack' emphatically joined; but, like a good 'mason,' kept 'the secret' to himself.

His imagination, however, pictured the very serious consequences that might have resulted from 'his only intending to blow Mrs. Honor up a little,' had she been seated where the faggot had been placed, however tough he might have thought the materials, of which the old nurse was composed,—a leg here—an arm there, and every member of his veteran superintendant scattered over the kitchen! ! and as by a miracle almost it had been prevented, Jack determined to have nothing more to do with 'mining!'

CHAPTER XI.

THE PARSON.-HIS LOVE FOR A GOOD DINNER.-AWFUL CASE OF POISONING.-RECOVERY AND REJOICING.

THE Sunday following this display of 'Jack's' organ of destruction,' the parson of a neighbouring parish, a ‘bon vivant,' and a good preacher was to perform divine service in the manor house barn ;' and, as usual, a large congregation was to be expected, for whether to hear the word of God or not, it would have been highly sinful to keep away from the Whitsuntide revels.' The rector of the adjoining parish came, accompanied by a numerous party of his friends and parishioners; and, in that same barn, where 'Wesley' had largely descanted upon the delights of heaven, and 'Hawker' on the terrors of hell, and the torments of the condemned,— 'damned now considered, is vulgar! this parson, whose heaven was a good dinner, and his hell, a bad one, or bad port wine after it— extolled the blessings of this world-that 'to enjoy was to obey,' and that, as bishops preach and advise, all good christians should take no thought for tomorrow, and that sufficient unto the day was the evil thereof!!'

After service,' the parson received innumerable compliments. An old fox-hunting squire, whose conscience would have been loaded with remorse if he had gone to church without his hunting whip; after expressing his sorrow that there was nothing for the hounds to do for some time to come,' begged to have a copy of his sermon, and 'fath he would hae it printed:' the parson readily gave him the black edged scrawl, and then heartily joined with him in the wish, that it was time again to follow the scent.'

Before the dinner was announced, rich saffron bun's were handed about in baskets, whose linen envelopes might vie in whiteness with snow itself. The parson ate his quantum; but muttered a good deal about the sin of spoiling ones appetite before dinner!

That delightful period to an orthodox dinner, and indeed to every real Englishman-every lover of roast beef and plum pudding, which means every true patriot-at length arrived; and dinner was announced on table' in Llantilham's, at that time, only parlour. Roast beef and boiled, roast and boiled mutton, roast and boiled veal, swimming in yellow butter; roast pork and boiled ham, followed by gooseberry pies and clouted cream, rice and plum puddings, jams and jellies, cheesecakes and custards, syllabubs and trifle, and lots of other trifles, made the ricketty mahogany tables of all sorts and sizes, joined together for the occasion, groaned beneath their weight. Such a dinner, which at the west end of the town would be the very acme of vulgarity, was the surest and most positive proof of country aristocratic gentility at Llantilham; and nothing could be heard but do, do 'e' take this, and do 'e' take that, save and except the clatter of plates, and what Sancto Panza called 'munching' as every body liked to munch,' from the time the party sat down, till the ladies took leave from—not the drawing room, for such a thing was never heard of there, but the garden, wither they repaired in couples.

The parson having, as president, commanded a bumper to 'church and king'; 'Ego et Rex meus'! graciously permitted every one to do as he pleased, declaring, that for his part he should stick to the port'—and excellent port it was!

The parson's presence, were he so disposed, could not be dispensed with by his father-in-law old Squire B; nor would it altogether have been relished' by the young farmers, and others who were busily engaged at the revels; for altho' he was very much liked, a black coat always puts a damper upon their sports; and without him, they could kick shins-break heads-and play the devil with each other in true cornish style, ad libitum. The revels terminated as the evening set in; the best at cudgel playing and at wrestling bore off the honor of the day, which the prettiest girl was selected to confer, and all ended, notwithstanding blood had been shed, and many a skin blackened to such a degree, that the hero of the day could scarcely stand upon his legs, in harmony and good humour, for all had begun with shaking hands, and ended with a similar ceremony.

The ladies were now re-admitted to the parlour; the remains of the dessert were removed; bottles and glasses laid aside for the time, and the tables wiped clean' preparatory to the display of tea, coffee, saffron buns, and clouted cream; after which, the 'SYLLABUB,' but there the loss caused by the blowing up' was most severely felt-the punch bowls-the Drake and Raleigh punch bowls-which for upwards of two centuries, had, on such occasions, contained the syllabubs, were, alas! no more! for all the 'witches' in the country could not putty' them together;-and although not a particle as large as a pin's head had been lost, the chinese, who had originally formed the bowls could not then remake them, nor vouch for the particular articles of which they had formed parts. The syllabub, which, according to the necessity hath no law' system, had been served in a soup-tureen, having been discussed, the parson proposed that the youngest married lady's ring should be fished for; and that the successful fisher should, with her hand, fill the gentleman's mouth, who sat on her left hand, with cream— from a pan in the dairy, as fast as she could dip her hand and that he could swallow; and that any gentleman who refused compliance 'should forfeit a half a dozen of port.' The parson's proposition, as to the fishing ceremony, was, of course, confined to the ladies'