Papa's attention was divided between petting Chubby, rebuking the noisy Fred, which he did with a somewhat excessive sharpness, and eating his own breakfast.

He had not yet looked at Mamma, and did not know that her cheek was paler than usual.

But Patty whispered, 'Mamma, have you the headache ?' Happily coal was cheap in the neighbourhood of Shepperton, and Mr.Hackit would any time let his horses draw a load for 'the parson' without charge; so there was a blazing fire in the sitting-room, and not without need, for the vicarage garden, as they looked out on it from the bow-window, was hard with black frost, and the sky had the white woolly look that portends snow.
Breakfast over, Mr.Barton mounted to his study, and occupied himself in the first place with his letter to Mr.Oldinport.It was very much the same sort of letter as most clergymen would have written under the same circumstances, except that instead of perambulate, the Rev.Amos wrote preambulate, and instead of 'if haply', 'if happily', the contingency indicated being the reverse of happy.

Mr.Barton had not the gift of perfect accuracy in English orthography and syntax, which was unfortunate, as he was known not to be a Hebrew scholar, and not in the least suspected of being an accomplished Grecian.

These lapses, in a man who had gone through the Eleusinian mysteries of a university education, surprised the young ladies of his parish extremely; especially the Misses Farquhar, whom he had once addressed in a letter as Dear Mads., apparently an abbreviation for Madams.