, and said he didn't
want to hinder work; but he would give anybody that knew the fells
well a matter of five shillings to go with him, and carry his two
little bags. And father says to our Joe, "Away with thee! It's a
crown more than ever thou was worth at home." So the strange man
gave Joe two little leather bags to carry; and Joe thought he was
going to make his five shillings middling easy, for he never
expected he would find any thing on the fells to put into the bags.
But Joe was mistaken. The old gentleman, he said, went louping over
wet spots and great stones, and scraffling over crags and screes,
till you would have thought he was some kin to a Herdwick sheep.

Charlotte laughed heartily at this point. "It is just the way Sedgwick
goes on. He led father and me exactly such a chase one day last June."

"I dare say he did. I remember you looked like it. Go on."

After a while he began looking hard at all the stones and crags he
came to; and then he took to breaking lumps off them with a queer
little hammer he had with him, and stuffing the bits into the bags
that Joe was carrying. He fairly capped Joe then. He couldn't tell
what to make of such a customer. At last Joe asked him why ever he
came so far up the fell for little bits of stone, when he might get
so many down in the dales? He laughed, and went on knapping away
with his little hammer, and said he was a jolly-jist.

"Geologist she means, Charlotte."

"Of course; but Agnes spells it 'jolly-jist.'"

"Agnes ought to know better. She waited table frequently, and must have
heard the word pronounced. Go on, Charlotte."

He kept on at this feckless work till late in the afternoon, and by
that time he had filled both bags full with odd bits of stone. Joe
said he hadn't often had a harder darrack after sheep at
clipping-time than he had after that old man, carrying his leather
bags. But, however, they got back to our house, and mother gave the
stranger some bread and milk; and after he had taken it, and talked
with father about sheep-farming and such like, he paid Joe his five
shillings like a man, and told him he would give him another five
shillings if he would bring his bags full of stones down to
Skeal-Hill by nine o'clock in the morning.

"Are you sleepy Sophy?"

"Oh, dear, no! Go on."

Next morning Joe to