Joe.

"One's all," said the soldier.

"I tell ee what," remarked Joe, "if I was going to list, there's no man
as I'd liefer list wi than you, Mr. Sergeant."

"Domino!" said the Sergeant, "that's one to us, partner!"

Then they shuffled the dominoes and commenced again. But at this moment
the full figure of Mr. Bumpkin again stood in the doorway.

"Joe!" he exclaimed angrily, "I want thee, come ere thirecly, I tell ee!"

"Yes, maister; I be comin."

"You stoopid fool!" said Mr. Bumpkin in a whisper, as Joe went up to him,
"thee be playin with thic feller."

"Well, maister, if I be; what then?" Joe said this somewhat angrily, and
Mr. Bumpkin replied:--

"He'll ha thee, Joe--he'll ha thee!"

"Nay, nay, maister; I be too old in the tooth for he; but it beant thy
business, maister."

"No," said Bumpkin, as he turned away, "it beant."

Then Joe resumed his play. Now it happened that as the Sergeant smacked
his lips when he took his occasional sip of the fragrant grog, expressive
of the highest relish, it awakened a great curiosity in Wurzel's mind as
to its particular flavour. The glass was never far from his nose and he
had long enjoyed the extremely tempting odour. At last, as he was not
invited to drink by Sergeant Goodtale, he could contain himself no
longer, but made so bold as to say:--

"Pardner, med I jist taste this ere? I never did taste sich a thing."

"Certainly, partner," said the Sergeant, pushing the tumbler, which was
about three-parts full. "What's the game now?"

"Ten-one," said Outofwork.

"One's all, then," said the Sergeant.

Joe took the tumbler, and after looking into it for a second or two as
though he were mentally apostrophizing it, placed the glass to his lips.

"Don't be afraid," said the Sergeant.

No one seemed more courageous than Wurzel, in respect of the act with
which he was engaged, and before he took the glass from his lips its
contents had disappeared.

"I'm mighty glad thee spoke, Maister Sergeant, for if thee hadn't I
should a drunk un all wirout thy leave. I never tasted sich tackle in my
life; it's enough to make a man gie up everything for sogering."

"Domino!" said the Sergeant. "I think that's the game!"

* * * * *

"My dear," said my wife, "you have been talking again in your sleep."

"Really," said I, "I hope I have not compromised myself."

"I do not understand you," cried she.

"No more do I, for I am hardl