t of. Mrs. Garland supervised all with
disinterested benevolence. It would never have done, she said, for his
future daughter-in-law to see the house in its original state. She would
have taken a dislike to him, and perhaps to Bob likewise.

'Why don't ye come and live here with me, and then you would be able to
see to it at all times?' said the miller as she bustled about again. To
which she answered that she was considering the matter, and might in good
time. He had previously informed her that his plan was to put Bob and
his wife in the part of the house that she, Mrs. Garland, occupied, as
soon as she chose to enter his, which relieved her of any fear of being
incommoded by Matilda.

The cooking for the wedding festivities was on a proportionate scale of
thoroughness. They killed the four supernumerary chickens that had just
begun to crow, and the little curly-tailed barrow pig, in preference to
the sow; not having been put up fattening for more than five weeks it was
excellent small meat, and therefore more delicate and likely to suit a
town-bred lady's taste than the large one, which, having reached the
weight of fourteen score, might have been a little gross to a cultured
palate. There were also provided a cold chine, stuffed veal, and two
pigeon pies. Also thirty rings of black-pot, a dozen of white-pot, and
ten knots of tender and well-washed chitterlings, cooked plain in case
she should like a change.

As additional reserves there were sweetbreads, and five milts, sewed up
at one side in the form of a chrysalis, and stuffed with thyme, sage,
parsley, mint, groats, rice, milk, chopped egg, and other ingredients.
They were afterwards roasted before a slow fire, and eaten hot.

The business of chopping so many herbs for the various stuffings was
found to be aching work for women; and David, the miller, the grinder,
and the grinder's boy being fully occupied in their proper branches, and
Bob being very busy painting the gig and touching up the harness, Loveday
called in a friendly dragoon of John's regiment who was passing by, and
he, being a muscular man, willingly chopped all the afternoon for a quart
of strong, judiciously administered, and all other victuals found, taking
off his jacket and gloves, rolling up his shirt-sleeves and unfastening
his collar in an honourable and energetic way.

All windfalls and maggot-cored codlins were excluded from the apple pies;
and as there was no known dish large