t Skeal-Hill,
she gave a grunt, and said, as if she spoke to nobody but herself,
"Ay, a blind body might see that."--"I was speaking to Joe," said
father. "Joe," said he again, "I was at Skeal-Hill,"--mother gave
another grunt then,--"and they told me that thy old friend the
jolly-jist is back again. I think thou had better step down, and
see if he wants to buy any more broken stones; old Abraham has a
fine heap or two lying aside Kirgat." Joe thought he had done many
a dafter thing than take father at his word, whether he meant it or
not; and so thought, so done, for next morning he took himself off
to Skeal-Hill.

When he got there, and asked if the jolly-jist was stirring yet,
one servant snorted, and another grunted, till Joe got rather
maddish; but at last one of them skipjacks of fellows, that wear a
little jacket like a lass's bedgown, said he would see. He came
back laughing, and said, "Come this way, Joe." Well, our Joe
followed him till he stopped before a room door; and he gave a
little knock, and then opened it, and says he, "Joe, sir." Joe
wasn't going to stand that; and he said, "'Joe, sir,' he'll ken its
'Joe, sir,' as soon as he sees the face of me. And get out with thy
'Joe, sir,' or I'll make thee laugh at the wrong side of that ugly
face of thine." With that the fellow skipped out of our Joe's way
gayly sharp, and Joe stepped quietly into the room.

There the little old gentleman was sitting at a table
writing,--gray hair, spectacles, white neck-cloth, black
clothes,--just as if he had never either doffed or donned himself
since he went away. But before Joe could put out his hand, or say a
civil word to him, he glinted up at Joe through his spectacles very
fierce like, and grunted out something about wondering how Joe
durst show his face again. Well, that put the cap on all for poor
Joe. He had thought over what father said, and _how_ he said it, on
his road down till he found himself getting rather mad about it;
and the way they all snorted and laughed when he came to Skeal-Hill
made him madder; and that bedgown fellow, with his "Joe, sir," made
him madder than ever; but when the old jolly-jist--that he thought
would be so fain to see him, if it was only for the sake of their
sprogue on the fells together--when he wondered