Dear me!" said Ezra, seriously; "dear me! And what answer made young
Snac to this?"

"Young Snac," said Reuben, "was equal to his day. 'All right,' says he;
'gi'e me the shillin' now, an' we'll drop in at the "Goat" and split
a quart together.' 'All right,' says the old bull-dog; 'it's th' on'y
chance I shall ever light upon of mekin' a profit out o' thee.' He lugs
out a leather bag, finds a shilling, bites it to make sure of its value,
hands it to the young bull-dog, and at the 'Goat' they actually pull up
together, and young Snac spends the money then and there. 'Bring out six
pints,' cries Snac the younger. 'Fo'penny ale's as much as a father can
expect when his loving son is a-spendin' the whole of his inheritance
upon him.' Everybody sipped, the bride included, and the two bull-dogs
clinked their mugs together. I sipped myself, being invited as a
bystander, and toasted father and son together."

"But, mind thee, lad," said Ezra, "it's scarcely to be touched upon as a
laughing matter. Drollery of a sort theer is in it, to be sure; but what
Sennacherib Eld says he sticks to. When he bites he holds. He was ever
of that nature."

"I know," said Reuben; "but young Nip-and-Fasten has the breed of old
Bite-and-Hold-Fast in him, and if the old man keeps his money the young
one will manage to get along without it."

At this moment the bells ceased their clangor.

"They've gone into the church, Reuben," said the old man. "I'll do no
less than wish 'em happiness, though there's fewer that finds it than
seeks it by that gate."

"It's like other gates in that respect, I suppose," Reuben answered.

"Well, yes," returned the elder man, lingeringly. "But it's the gate
that most of 'em fancy, and thereby it grows the saddest to look at,
lad. Come indoors again. There'll be no more bells this yet-awhile."

Reuben followed him into the cloistral odors and shadows of the
sitting-room. Ezra took his old seat, and kept silence for the space of
two or three minutes.

"You said you wanted to speak to me, uncle," said the younger man, at
length.

"Yes, yes," said Ezra, rising as if from a dream. "You're getting to
have a very pretty hand on the fiddle, Reuben, and--well, it's a shame
to bury anything that has a value. This"--he arose and laid a hand on
the topmost book of the great pile of music--"this has never seen
the light for a good five-and-twenty year. Theer's some of it forgot,
notwithstanding that it's all main good mu