You may guess I stood at attention soon enough, but told him I was looking at the founds to see if they wanted underpinning from the floods.

And so I set his mind at ease, for 'tis a simple child, and packed him off to get my dubbing hammer.

And I think the boy will not be here so often now to frighten honest Parmiter, for I have weaved him some pretty tales of Blackbeard, and he has a wholesome scare of meeting the Colonel.

But after dark I pledge my life that neither he nor any other in the town would pass the churchyard wall, no, not for a thousand pounds.' I heard him chuckling to himself, and the others laughed loudly too, when he was telling how he palmed me off; but 'he laughs loudest who laughs last', thought I, and should have chuckled too, were it not for making the coffin creak.

And then, to my surprise, Elzevir spoke: 'The lad is a brave lad; I would he were my son.