imp's mother. First, she was extremely
lachrymose, and couldn't speak a word; then she got the steam up,
and began slanging me till all was blue: I was 'an unchristian-like,
hard-hearted, heathen Turk, so I was, and I'd been and spiled her sweet
boy completely, so I had; such a boy as he was too, bless him; it was
quite a sight to hear him say his Catechism; and as to reading his book,
he'd beat the parson himself into fits at it'. Fortunately for me, she
was a little touched in the wind, and, when she pulled up to take breath
for a fresh start, I managed to cut in. 'I tell you what it is, old
lady,' said I, 'there's no need for you to put yourself into a fury
about it; misfortunes will happen in the best-regulated families, and
it seems to me a boy more or less can make no great odds to any one--no
fear of the breed becoming extinct just at present, if one may judge
from appearances; however, as you seem to set a value upon this
particular boy, I'll tell you what I'll do: I'll _buy_ him of you, and
then, if anything should go wrong with him, it will be my loss and not
yours. I'll give you twenty pounds for him, and that's more than he
would be worth if he was sound.' By Jove, the old girl brightened up in
a moment, wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her coat, and said: 'Five
pounds more, and it's a bargain'. And the end of it all was, the brat
got well before I left the place; I paid the old woman her money, and
brought Shrimp away with me, and it hasn't turned out such a bad spec
either, for he makes a capital tiger; and now I've broken him in, I
would not take twice the money for him. You'll be at old Coleman's hop
to-night, I suppose; so bye! bye! for the present."

Thus saying he drew the whip lightly across the leader's back, the
horses sprang forward, and in another moment he was out of sight.

Half an hour's ride brought me within view of Elm Lodge, the house
lately taken by Mr. Coleman, senior. As I rang at the bell a figure
leaped out of one of the front windows, and came bounding across the
lawn to meet me, ~118~~and in another minute my hand was seized and my
arm nearly shaken off by Coleman.

"Freddy, old boy!" "Frank, my dear old fellow!" were our mutual
exclamations, as we once more shook hands with an energy which must have
highly edified a pompous footman whom my ring had summoned. After the
first excitement of our meeting had a little subsided we found time to
examine each other more minutely, and not