a strange dream
the night before, which they were afraid portended some misfortune to
themselves or to their children. At her coming into the room, I observed
a settled melancholy in her countenance, which I should have been
troubled for, had I not heard from whence it proceeded. We were no
sooner sat down, but, after having looked upon me a little while, 'My
dear,' says she, turning to her husband, 'you may now see the stranger
that was in the candle last night.' Soon after this, as they began to
talk of family affairs, a little boy at the lower end of the table told
her, that he was to go into join-hand on Thursday. 'Thursday!' says she;
'no, child; if it please God, you shall not begin upon Childermas-day;
tell your writing-master, that Friday will be soon enough.' I was
reflecting with myself on the oddness of her fancy, and wondering that
any body would establish it as a rule to lose a day in every week. In
the midst of these my musings, she desired me to reach her a little salt
upon the point of my knife, which I did in such a trepidation and hurry
of obedience, that I let it drop by the way; at which she immediately
startled, and said it fell towards her. Upon this I looked very blank;
and, observing the concern of the whole table, began to consider myself,
with some confusion, as a person that had brought a disaster upon the
family. The lady, however, recovering herself after a little space,
said to her husband, with a sigh, 'My dear, misfortunes never come
single.' My friend, I found, acted but an under part at his table; and,
being a man of more good-nature than understanding, thinks himself
obliged to fall in with all the passions and humours of his yoke-fellow.
'Do not you remember, child,' said she, 'that the pigeon-house fell the
very afternoon that our careless wench spilt the salt upon the table?'
'Yes,' says he, 'my dear; and the next post brought us an account of the
battle of Almanza.' The reader may guess at the figure I made, after
having done all this mischief. I dispatched my dinner as soon as I
could, with my usual taciturnity; when, to my utter confusion, the lady
seeing me quitting my knife and fork, and laying them across one another
upon the plate, desired me that I would humour her so far as to take
them out of that figure, and place them side by side. What the absurdity
was which I had committed, I did not know, but I suppose there was some
traditionary superstition in it; and therefore, in