ss, sir? Yes, sir, his gardener, Mr. Fergus, took the best
prize for strawberries and green peas. You'll understand that those
airly tates were from seedlings of my own--that's where their great
merit lies, and why they were first. They gave Blakis the cottagers'
prize for lettuce; that I uphold was wrong. Said I, 'Those lettuce heads
that poor Raby shows air the biggest ever I set my eyes on,' 'Swan,'
says Mr. Tikey, 'we must encourage them that has good characters.'
'Well, now, if you come to think, sir,' says I, 'it's upwards of ten
years since Raby stole that pair of boots,' and I say (though they was
my boots) that should be forgot now, and he should have the cottagers'
prize, but stealing never gets forgiven."

"Because it's such an inconvenient vice to those that have anything to
lose," said Miss Christie.

"Yes, that's just it, ma'am. You see the vices and virtues have got
overhauled again, and sorted differently to suit our convenience.
Stealing's no worse _probly_ in the eyes of our Maker than lying and
slandering; not so bad, mayhap, as a deep _sweer_. But folks air so
tenacious like, they must have every stick and stone respected that they
reckon theirs."

"We shouldn't hear ye talking in this _pheelosophical_ way," said Miss
Christie, "if yere new potatoes had been stolen last night, before ye
got them to the show."

Laura took a glance at the gardener, as, with all the ease of intimacy,
he leaned in at the window and gave his opinion on things in general. He
was hale, and looked about sixty years of age. He was dressed in his
Sunday suit, and wore an orange bandana handkerchief loosely tied round
his neck. He had keen grey eyes. Joseph's eyes were dark and large, and
Joseph was taller, and had a straighter nose.

"Swan's quite right," remarked Valentine; "we are a great deal too
tenacious about our belongings. Now I've heard of a fellow who was
waiting about, to horsewhip another fellow, and when this last came out
he had a cane in his hand. His enemy snatched it from him, and laid it
about his back as much as he liked, split it and broke it on him, and
then carried off the bits. Now what would you have done, Swan, in such a
case?"

"Well, sir, in which case? I can't consider anyhow as I could be in the
case of him that was whipped."

"I mean what would you have done about the cane?--the property? A
magistrate had to decide. The man that had been horsewhipped said the
other had spoilt his cane, wh