e for it. He would walk
conscientiously with his eyes on the ground, except when it was
necessary to refer to the compass, and he would not raise them until he
stood within the shop. It would be a triumphant exhibition of the
practical purposes, in a small way, to which the instrument might be
applied.
Full of this idea, he took a careful observation of the compass, the
sun, and surrounding nature; laid his course for the baker's shop, which
was on the right side of the village, and walked straight into the
butcher's, which lay on its left extremity. He was so much put out on
lifting his eyes to those of the butcher, that he ordered a leg of
mutton and six pounds of beefsteaks on the spot. The moment after, he
recollected that two legs of mutton and a round of beef had been
forwarded to the White House by coach the day before, and that there was
a poached brace of moor-fowl in the larder at that moment; but, having
given the order in a prompt, business tone of voice, he felt that he
lacked moral courage to rescind it.
"Ye'll ha'e frien's comin' to veesit ye," observed the butcher, who was
gifted with a peculiar and far-sighted faculty of "putting that and that
together."
"No; we have no immediate prospect of such a pleasure."
"Ay? Hum! it's wonderfu' what an appeteet the hill air gives to
strangers."
"A tremendous appetite! Good-day, friend."
Mr Sudberry said this heartily, and went off to the baker's--by dead
reckoning--discomfited but chuckling.
The butcher pondered and philosophised over the subject the remainder of
the afternoon with much curiosity, but with no success. Had the wisdom
of Plato been mingled with his Scotch philosophy, the compound reduced
to an essential oil of investigative profundity, and brought to bear on
the subject in question, he would have signally failed to discover the
reason of the Sudberrys' larder being crammed that week with an
unreasonable quantity of butcher-meat.
Yes! during these three weeks of sunshine the Sudberrys made hay of
their time as diligently as the McAllisters made hay of their grass, and
the compasses played a prominent part in all their doings, and led them
into many scrapes. Among other things, they led them to Glen Ogle.
More of this in the next chapter.
STORY ONE, CHAPTER 17.
THE TRIP TO GLEN OGLE.
Without entering into minute comparisons, it may be truly said that Glen
Ogle is one of the grandest and wildest of mountain passes
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