ances.

Jeff Gore had shot a deer not many days before, and one of its fat
haunches was to be the great dish of the feast; but Robin said that it
was not enough: so, after the first congratulations were over, he and
Walter, and Slugs, and Black Swan, set off into the forest, and ere long
returned with several brace of grouse, and a few rabbits. Roy, with a
very sly look, had asked leave to go and have a walk on snow-shoes in
the woods with Nelly before dinner, but his father threatened to lock
him up in the cellar, so he consented to remain at home for that day and
assist his mother.

"Now, Nelly, you and Roy will come help me to prepare the feast," said
Mrs Gore, whose eyes were swollen with joyful weeping till they looked
like a couple of inflamed oysters; "not that there's much to do, for,
now that Larry is come back, we'll leave everything to him except the
pl-plum--poo--poo--ding--oh! _my_ darling!"

Here Mrs Gore broke down for the fifteenth time, and, catching Nelly to
her bosom, hugged her.

"Darling mother!" sighed Nelly.

"Och! but it's a sight good for sore eyes, anyhow," exclaimed Larry,
looking up from his occupation among the steaming pots and pans.

Wapaw, who was the only other member of the party who chose to remain in
the house during the forenoon of that day, sat smoking his pipe in the
chimney corner, and regarded the whole scene with that look of stoical
solemnity which is peculiar to North American Indians.

"Come, I say, this'll never do, mother," cried Roy, going to the
flour-barrel which stood in a corner. "If we're to help you wi' that
'ere poodin', let's have at it at once."

Thus admonished, Mrs Gore and her recovered progeny set to work and
fabricated a plum-pudding, which was nearly as hard, almost as heavy as,
and much larger than a sixty-four pound cannon ball. It would have
killed with indigestion half a regiment of artillery, but it could not
affect the hardened frames of these men of the backwoods!

In course of time the board was spread, the viands smoked upon it, and
the united party set to work. Mrs Gore sat at the head of the table,
with Nelly on one side and Roy on the other. Robin sat at the foot,
supported by the White Swan on his right, and Wapaw on his left. Ranged
between these were Walter, Slugs, the Black Swan, Jeff Gore, Obadiah
Stiff, the two other strangers who came with Jeff, and Larry O'Dowd--for
Larry acted the part of cook only, and did not pretend to