it rains every day and
every night too. It's awful, and you must keep out of a country-house in
such weather, or you'll go for it; it will kill you, that's sartain. I
shall never forget a juicy day I once spent in one of them dismal old
places. I'll tell you how I came to be there.

"The last time I was to England, I was a dinin' with our consul
to Liverpool, and a very gentleman-like old man he was too; he was
appointed by Washington, and had been there ever since our glorious
revolution. Folks gave him a great name, they said he was a credit to
us. Well, I met at his table one day an old country squire, that lived
somewhere down in Shropshire, close on to Wales, and says he to me,
arter cloth was off and cigars on, 'Mr. Slick,' says he, 'I'll be very
glad to see you to Norman Manor,' (that was the place where he staid,
when he was to home). 'If you will return with me I shall be glad
to shew you the country in my neighbourhood, which is said to be
considerable pretty.'

"'Well,' says I, 'as I have nothin' above particular to see to, I don't
care if I do go.'

"So off we started; and this I will say, he was as kind as he cleverly
knew how to be, and that is sayin' a great deal for a man that didn't
know nothin' out of sight of his own clearin' hardly.

"Now, when we got there, the house was chock full of company, and
considerin' it warn't an overly large one, and that Britishers won't
stay in a house, unless every feller gets a separate bed, it's a wonder
to me, how he stowed away as many as he did. Says he, 'Excuse your
quarters, Mr. Slick, but I find more company nor I expected here. In
a day or two, some on 'em will be off, and then you shall be better
provided.'

"With that I was showed up a great staircase, and out o' that by a
door-way into a narrer entry and from that into an old T like looking
building, that stuck out behind the house. It warn't the common company
sleepin' room, I expect, but kinder make shifts, tho' they was good
enough too for the matter o' that; at all events I don't want no better.

"Well, I had hardly got well housed a'most, afore it came on to rain, as
if it was in rael right down airnest. It warn't just a roarin', racin',
sneezin' rain like a thunder shower, but it kept a steady travellin'
gait, up hill and down dale, and no breathin' time nor batin' spell.
It didn't look as if it would stop till it was done, that's a fact. But
still as it was too late to go out agin that arternoo