r-bags, which
we press in a large press till all the juice runs out. _Tommy._--And is
this juice cider? _The Woman._--You shall taste, little master, as you
seem so curious.

She then led him into another room, where there was a great tub full of
the juice of apples, and, taking some up in a cup, she desired him to
taste whether it was cider. Tommy tasted, and said it was very sweet and
pleasant, but not cider. "Well," said the woman, "let us try another
cask." She then took out some liquor of another barrel, which she gave
him, and Tommy, when he had tasted it, said that it really was cider.
"But pray," said he, "what do you do to the apple-juice to make it
cider?" _The Woman._--Nothing at all. _Tommy._--How, then, should it
become cider? for I am sure what you gave me at first is not cider. _The
Woman._--Why, we put the juice into a large cask, and let it stand in
some warm place, where it soon begins to ferment. _Tommy._--Ferment!
pray, what is that? _The Woman._--You shall see.

She then showed him another cask, and bade him observe the liquor that
was in it. This he did, and saw it was covered all over with a thick
scum and froth. _Tommy._--And is this what you call fermentation? _The
Woman._--Yes, master. _Tommy._--And what is the reason of it? _The
Woman._--That I do not know, indeed; but when we have pressed the juice
out, as I told you, we put it into a cask and let it stand in some warm
place, and in a short time it begins to work or ferment of itself, as
you see; and after this fermentation has continued some time, it
acquires the taste and properties of cider, and then we draw it off into
casks and sell it, or else keep it for our own use. And I am told this
is the manner in which they make wine in other countries.
_Tommy._--What! is wine made of apples, then? _The Woman._--No, master;
wine is made of grapes, but they squeeze the juice out, and treat it in
the same manner as we do the juice of the apples. _Tommy._--I declare
this is very curious indeed. Then cider is nothing but wine made of
apples?

While they were conversing in this manner a little clean girl came and
brought Tommy an earthen porringer full of new milk, with a large slice
of brown bread. Tommy took it, and ate with so good a relish that he
thought he had never made a better breakfast in his life.

When Harry and he had eaten their breakfast, Tommy told him it was time
they should return home, so he thanked the good woman for her kindne