r that he hastily threw down the hive, upon which the
greater part of the bees fell out, and began in a rage to fly among the
crowd, and sting all whom they lit upon. Away scampered the people, the
women shrieking, the children roaring; and poor Adam, who had held the
hive, was assailed so furiously that he was obliged to throw himself on
the ground, and creep under the gooseberry bushes. At length the bees
began to return to the hive, in which the queen bee had remained; and
after a while, all being quietly settled, a cloth was thrown over it,
and the swarm was carried home.

'About noon three pigs broke into the garden, where they were rioting
upon the carrots and turnips, and doing a great deal of mischief by
trampling the beds and rooting up the plants with their snouts, when
they were spied by old Towzer, the mastiff, who ran among them, and
laying hold of their long ears with his teeth, made them squeal most
dismally, and get out of the garden as fast as they could.

'Roger, the ploughman, when he came for his dinner, brought word that he
had discovered a partridge's nest with sixteen eggs in the home field,
upon which the farmer went out and broke them all, saying that he did
not choose to rear birds upon his corn which he was not allowed to
scratch, but must leave to some qualified sportsman, who would besides
break down his fences in the pursuit.

'A sheep washing was held this day at the mill-pool, when seven score
were well washed, and then penned in the high meadow to dry. Many of
them made great resistance at being thrown into the water, and the old
ram, being dragged to the brink by a boy at each horn, and a third
pushing behind, by a sudden spring threw two of them into the water, to
the great diversion of the spectators.

'Towards the dusk of the evening the Squire's mongrel greyhound, which
had been long suspected of worrying sheep, was caught in the fact. He
had killed two lambs, and was making a hearty meal upon one of them,
when he was disturbed by the approach of the shepherd's boy, and
directly leaped the hedge and made off. The dead bodies were taken to
the Squire's, with an indictment of wilful murder against the dog. But
when they came to look for the culprit, he was not to be found in any
part of the premises, and is supposed to have fled his country through
consciousness of his heinous offence.

'Joseph, who sleeps in the garret at the old end of the house, after
having been some time in