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Thould have à párt of the vénifon fór fúpper, and the girls undertook the táfk with alicrity. lám fórry, cried I, thát we have no neighbour or stranger to take à párt în this good cheer: feafts of this kind acquire à double rélih from hofpitality." 66 ,,Bléfs mè," cried

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my wife, here comes our good friend M'r. Burchell, that faved our Sophia, and thát rún you down fairly in the argument. fite mè ín árgument, child!" cried 'I. ,,You miftake there, my dear. I believe thére áre but few that can do that: 'I never difpùte your abilities át making à goofepye, and I beg you'll leave argument to me." As I fpoke, poor Mr, Burchell éntered the house, and was welcomed by the family, who fhook him heartily by the hand, while little Dick offíciously reached him à chair.

I was pleafed with the poor man's friendThip for two reasons; because I knew that he wanted mine, and I knew him to be friendly ás fár ás re was able. He was known in our neighbourhood by the character of the poor Gentleman that would dó no good when he was young, though he was not yet thirty. Hè would át intervals talk with great good fense; bút ín géneral he was fondeft of the company of children, whom hè ùsed tỏ cáll hármless little He was famous, I found, fór finging thém bállads, and telling them ftòries; and féldom went out without fomething in his pockets for them, à pièce óf ginger-bread, or án hálfpenny whiftle. He generally came fór à few days into our neighbourhood once a year, ánd lived upon the neighbour's hofpitality. He fate down to fupper among ús, and my wife was nút fparing of her gooleberry wine. The tale

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went round; he fúng us old fngs, and gave the children the ftory of the Buck of Bever land, with the history of Patient Griffel, the adventures óf Cátskin, and then Fair Ròsamond's bówer k), 'Our cock, which always crew át eleven, nów told us it was time for repòse; bút án unforeseen difficulty ftárted about lodging the Stranger; all our beds were already taken úp, and it was too late to fend him to the next àlehoufe, 'In this dilemma, little Dick óffered him his part of the bed, if his brother Mòles would let him he with him; 'And I," cried Bill, will give Mr. Burchell my párt, if my filters will take me to theirs."Well done, my good children," cried I, hofpitality is óne of the first chríftian dùties, The beaft retires to its fhelter, and the bird flies to its nést; bút helplefs mán cán only find refuge from his fellow creature. The greateft ftranger in this world, was hè thát came to fàve it. He never hád án house, ás íf willing to fee what hofpitálity was left remaining amongst ús. Deborah, my dear," cried I to my wife, give thòle boys à lump of fùgar each, and lét Dick's bè the largest, because he spoke first.“

In the morning early I called out my whole family to help át faving án, aftergrowth of hay, ánd our guest offering his affiftance, he was accepted among the number. Our labours went ón lightly, we turned the fwath to the wind. I went foremost, and the réft fóllowed in dùe fucceffion, 'I could not avoid, however, obférving the affidùity of M'r. Burchell ín affifting my daughter Sophia ín hér párt of thẻ tásk. When he had finished his own, he would join

k) Namen einiger Volkserzählungen und Mährchen.

in her's, and enter ínto à clòfe converfàtion; but I had too good án opinion of Sophia's underftánding, and was too well convinced of hér ambition, to be under ány unèafinefs from mán óf broken fortune, When we were finifhed for the day, Mr. Burchell was invited ổn the night before; bút hè refufed, ás he was to lie that night át à neighbour's, to whole, child he was carrying à whíftle. Whén gone, our converfàtion át fupper túrned upón óur late unfortunate guéft,,,What à ftrong inftance," hid 'I,,,is that poor man of the míseries attending a youth of levity and extravagance. Hè by no means wants fenle, which only férves to aggravate his former fólly. Poor forlórn creature where are now the révellers, the Batterers, thát hè could once infpire and command! Góne, perhaps to attend the bagnio 1) pander, grown rích by hís extrávagance. They once praifed hím, ánd nów they applaud the pánder; their former ráptures át his wít, áre nów converted into fárcafms át hís fólly. is poor, and perhaps deférves póverty; fór hè hás neither the ambition to be independent, nor the fkill to bè ùfeful." Prómpted perhaps by fome fècret reasons, 'I delivered this obfervation with too much ácrimony, which my Sophia gently reproved. Whatfoever hís fór mer conduct may bè, Papá, hís círcumstances fhould exempt him from cenfure now. préfent indigence is à fufficient punishment for former fólly; and 'I have heard my Papá him; Self fay, that wè fhould never ftrike our unné

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1) Bagnios find Häufer, die eigentlich Bäder feyn follten, jetzt aber blos ungefitteten Perfonen beiderlei Gefchlechts zu Versammlungsörtern dienen; mithin Frenden hapfer,

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ceffary blow át à víctim over whom providence holds the fcourge of its reféntment." áre right, Sophy," cried my fón Mofes,,,and one of the ancients finely reprefents fò malícious à conduct, by the attempts of à rústic to flay Márfyas, whofe fkín, the fable tells us, hád been wholly ftrípt off by anther m). Befides I don't know if this poor man's fituation bè l bád ás my father would reprefént ít. We áre not to judge of the feelings of others by what we might feel if in their place. However dárk the habitation of the mole to our eyes, yet the ánimal itfélf finds the apártment fufficiently lightfome. And to conféfs à truth, thís mán's mind feems fitted to his ftation; for I never heard any one more fprìghtly than he was today, when he convérfed with you. "

This wás fáid without the leaft defign, however it excited à blush, which fhè ftrove to cover by án affected laugh, affùring hím, that fhè fcàrce took ány notice of what he fáiḍ tỏ hér; bút thát fhe believed he might once have been à véry fine gentleman. The readiness with which The undertook to víndicate herfélf, ánd hér blúfhing, were fýmptoms I did not internally approve; but I repreft my fufpicions.

'As we expected our landlord thẻ next day, my wife went to make the vénifon páfty; Mòfes fate reading, while I taught the little ones: my daughters feemed equally buy with the reft; and I obférved them for à good while cooking fomething over the fire.I at firft

m) Marfyas wurde bekanntlich vom Apollo, den er zu einem musikalischen Wettftreite aufgefordert hatte, geSehunden. Auf welche Stelle eines alten Schriftfiellers hier angedeutet wird, ist uns unbekannt.

appofed they were affifting their mother; bút ittle Dick informed me in a whisper, that they were making a wash for the face. Wafhes of all kinds 'I hád à nátural antipathy to; for I knew that inftéad of mending the complexion they fpoil it. I therefore approached my chair fly degrees to the fire, and gráfping the poker, ás if it wanted ménding, feemingly by ecident, overturned the whole compofition, and it was too late to begin another.

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The dúlleft féllows may learn to be cómical for à night or two.

When the morning arrived on which we were to entertain our young landlord, ít may be eally fuppofed what provifions were exhausted to make an appearance. 'It may alfo be con jectured that my wife and daughters expanded their gayeft plumage upón this occafion. Mr. Thornhill came with a couple of friends, hís chaplain n) and feeder o). The fervants, who were numerous, he politely órdered to the

a) chaplain, der Hanskaplan. Sanft pflegten fich die Englifchen Grofsen häufig auf ihren Landfitzen einen Kaplan zu halten, der in ihrer Hauskapelle den Got, tesdienst verrichtete; gegenwärtig ist dies feltener der Fall.

o) feeder (anch cockfeeder) ift hier derjenige, welcher für Mr. Thornhill die Streithähne füttert, welche zu den Hahngefechten gebraucht werden follen. Bekanntlich werden diefe Thiere in England mit sehr grosser Sorgfalt gezogen, ja, wie Lichtenberg einmal im Scherz fagt, oft fargfältiger, wenn man etwa ein bischen alte Literatur abreclinet, als mancher junge Lord.

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