'I have him!' said the man at last; 'I have got him!' and presently he made his appearance about twenty yards down the road, holding a large viper in his hand.

'What do you think of that, my boy ?' said he, as I went up to him--'what do you think of catching such a thing as that with the naked hand ?' 'What do I think ?' said I.

'Why, that I could do as much myself.' 'You do,' said the man, 'do you?
Lord! how the young people in these days are given to conceit; it did not use to be so in my time: when I was a child, childer knew how to behave themselves; but the childer of these days are full of conceit, full of froth, like the mouth of this viper'; and with his forefinger and thumb he squeezed a considerable quantity of foam from the jaws of the viper down upon the road.

'The childer of these days are a generation of--God forgive me, what was I about to say ?' said the old man; and opening his bag he thrust the reptile into it, which appeared far from empty.

I passed on.