bright) wished to ask one question. He
believed as Spain led through France. He read,
at school that the French kep' their accounts
in franks and sows. Now, for travellers, like
Mr. Lufkin, to carry sows——"

Tom was stopped by a sing'ler hincident.
Stephen Dumbush, which had hitherto done his
duty so admirably, in the chair, that you needn't
have know'd he was present, and hadn't uttered
a voluntary word since he was married—nigh
twenty years ago—suddenly gets up! A
conwulsion o' nature wouldn't have surprised us
more. He lays down his pipe, as though he
shouldn't want it again for half an hour—he
looks slowly round—his eyes goggle—he opens
his mouth. Then he shuts it again and sits
down. Whether his courage failed him—whether
he thought he'd made a speech, and hadn't
—or whether he was only countin' noses, with
a view to the bill—were never know'd, to this
day!

After recovering a little from the disappintment
Stephen had giv' us, everybody drunk my
health and Mrs. Hel's, and I returned thanks,
merely observing that I would follow the
hexlent example set me, and hadd nothing—
or less. True, I were about to wisit Sarah
Gosser, and my friend Rummyres Frummagio
had already kissed my wife's 'and by—post,
which was Spanish for 'how-d'ye-do? Wery
glad to see you.' If the presence of a blunt
Englishman could go any ways to 'eal any little
soreness that might still exist on the score of
the Harmada, I should be wery glad, and if I
found their stock hinferior to ours, gladder still.
Mr. Stonedyke need not hexpect hanything
from my pen. Sheep, not hink, filled my
pens! My letter concernin' the sperrets was a
privileged communication. It was addressed
to a humble country-print, and, lo and be'old!
it comes out in a wery different paper, conducted
by a gentleman which could have know'd nothing
of me—unless it might have been at the
Tugmorden Hagricultural, as second-silver in boar-
pigs, and 'igh commendation in turnips. My
neighbour Bullwinkle might be heasy. Stiffikits
of character should be required, with hevery
bull I purchased. Sweetness and forbearingness
of disposition, hindispensable. As regards the
question of Mr. Thicknesse, I had ascertained
that, although sows were freely used in small
commercial transactions, it was not necessary
to hexport your whole stock, there being a
coin of similar name, which might be used,
instead. In conclusion, I thanked them all
'eartily, and moved a vote of thanks to Mr.
Dumbush, for his hable silence in the chair.

Folks going to France a'most hevery day—I
needn't say more than that we found heverybody
wery polite, and partial to franks—and it
were only when we got to a place, hoddly
called "Buy on," and hentered Spain, that our
troubles began. We had just cut in for one of
those half-yearly rebellions I have mentioned.
This, however, was more seriouser than common.
The queen had bolted for good and all, without
'aving 'ad tune to put on her crown. That was
why they'd turned her topsy-turvy on my letter.
Great hexcitement was wisible, 'specially when
we stopped to dine, and was only given three
minutes and a half. Heverybody was talkin'
of "freedom" and "liberty"—and wery free
they was—and great liberties took with Mrs.
Hel's baggage—searching heverything, even
to shaking out her chemises. I see them busy
over a bundle of her curlpapers (which was old
farm-accounts of mine) and there was a power
of talking and comparing, before they was
hultimately put back. A gentleman as spoke
English told me they was suspected of being
"Carlist dockyments."

Heverything, as we approached Sairey
Gosser, seemed to get dearer and dearer,
which, the same gent assured us, was another
glorious sign o' freedom.

At Sairey Gosser, Tom Tirritup met us at
the station, stopped a gineral fight for our
luggage, and, elbowing right and left, got us
safely away to a wery fine hotel the
"Horiental." Our coachman, bein' free, wanted ten
franks, to which request Tom merely replied,
"Caramba!" and gave him two. We had a
hexlent supper, and Tom said he had selected
that hotel for us, because the waiters, though
Spanish, spoke Italian, which was a great
conwenience and satisfaction!

My wife, being tired, went to bed, when
Tom perjuiced some wery choice tobacco,
smuggled (through a hamicable arrangement
with a gentleman at the Custom-house) by
Ramirez Vermijo, and opened his budget.
There was to be a wery great cattle show on
the morrow, patronised by the provisional
government, in horder to amuse the people
while they was making choice among the
fifteen gentlemen who had kindly offered to be
king. With regard to the black Handalusian
bull I had chiefly come to see, Tom reported
that he was in the best of health, and not
having been fed for two days would be
hactive and hirritable on the morrow, and so
be seen to the greater adwantage.

This sounded hodd; but, not to show
ignorance, I honly nodded, and made a secret
resolution not to go near that noble hanimal till
he had dined.

Tom ended a long discourse on the
hinteresting character of Spanish bulls, with the
remark that, if he could honly command the
sum of one thousand pounds, he distinctly saw
his way to making it twenty. At this point of
the conversation, however, I got wery sleepy,
and we presently separated for the night.

Sairey Gosser is the bawlingest town I
hever know'd. Shouting and singing went on
till half-past three. Then there was quiet for
half an hour; after which began a jingling of
bells up and down the streets, stopping at
different houses. This, they told us
afterwards, meant hasses' milk, which, at four in
the morning, must have been a wery pleasant
and inwigorating tipple.

Heverything was alive the next morning,
for the cattle show was to hopen at twelve
o'clock, and all Sairey Gosser, women-folks
and all, was going. Tom Tirritup came to
breakfast, and brought a request from Ramirez
Vermijo that I would place him (Ramirez V.)