down their hooks and forks and drew round him. Unfortunately the erratic crumb did not improve his narrative powers, and a supplementary hindrance was that of a sneeze, jerking from his pocket his rather large watch, which dangled in front of the young man pendulum-wise.
"Yes," he continued, directing his thoughts to Bath and letting his eyes follow, "I've seed the world at last—yes—and I've seed our mis'ess—ahok-hok-hok!"
"Bother the boy!" said Gabriel. "Something is always going the wrong way down your throat, so that you can't tell what's necessary to be told."
"Ahok! there! Please, Mister Oak, a gnat have just flewed into my stomach and brought the cough on again!"
"Yes, that's just it. Your mouth is always open, you young rascal."
"'Tis terrible bad to have a gnat fly down yer throat, pore boy!" said Matthew Moon.
"Well, at Bath you saw—" prompted Gabriel.
"I saw our mistress," continued the junior shepherd, "and a soldier, walking along. And bymeby they got closer and closer, and then they went arm-in-crook, like courting complete—hok-hok like courting complete—hok!—courting complete—" Losing the thread of his narrative at this point simultaneously with his loss of
