Hah! you asks me what have happened to it.

You take and go and look at it now.

And down heer'll be no better soon, I tells 'em.

When ah was a boy, old Hampshire was a proud country, wi' the old coaches and the old squires, and Harvest Homes, and Christmas merryings .-- Cutting up the land! There's no pride in livin' theer, nor anywhere, as I sees, now.' 'You mean the railways.' 'It's the Devil come up and abroad ower all England!' exclaimed the melancholy ancient patriot.
A little cheering was tried on him, but vainly.

He saw with unerring distinctness the triumph of the Foul Potentate, nay his personal appearance 'in they theer puffin' engines.' The country which had produced Andrew Hedger, as he stated his name to be, would never show the same old cricketing commons it did when he was a boy.