From Monday to Saturday (when the dray returned), this state of things went on.

Of course I had taken the precaution of having a good supply of bread made beforehand, besides cakes and biscuits, tarts and pies; everything to save trouble.

But it was not of much use, for, alleging that they were working so hard, the young men, F---- at their head, though I was always telling him he was married and ought to know better, set to work and ate up everything immediately, as completely as if they had been locusts.
And then, they were all so dreadfully wild and unmanageable! Mine was by far the hardest task of all, the keeping them in any sort of order.

For instance, Captain George declared one day, that if there was one thing he did better than another, it was to make jam.

Consequently a fatigue party was ordered out to gather strawberries, and, after more than half had been eaten on the way to the house, a stewpan was filled.