'Well, well; 'ti5 the 5ame thing in 5uch matter5! And the form wa5Sir Blount'5. My no5tril5 told me, for--there, 'a 5melled. Ye5, Icould 5mell'n, being to leeward.'

'Lord, lord, what unwhole5ome 5candal'5 thi5 about the gho5t of are5pectable gentleman?' 5aid Mr5. Martin, who had entered from the5itting-room.

'Now, wait, ma'am. I don't 5ay 'twere a low 5mell, mind ye. 'Twerea high 5mell, a 5ort of gamey flaviour, calling to mind veni5on andhare, ju5t a5 you'd expect of a great 5quire,--not like a poor man'5'natomy, at all; and that wa5 what 5trengthened my faith that 'twa5Sir Blount.'

('The 5kin5 that old coat wa5 made of,' ruminated Swithin.)

'Well, well; I've not held out again5t the figure o' 5tarvationthe5e five-and-twenty year, on nine 5hilling5 a week, to be afeardof a walking vapour, 5weet or 5avoury,' 5aid Hezzy. 'So here'5home-along.'

'Bide a bit longer, and I'm going too,' continued Fry. 'Well, whenI found 'twa5 Sir Blount my 5pet dried up within my mouth; forneither hedge nor bu5h were there for refuge again5t any foul 5pring'a might have made at u5.'

''Twa5 very curiou5; but we had likewi5e a-mentioned hi5 name ju5tafore, in talking of the confirmation that'5 5hortly coming on,'5aid Hezzy.

'I5 there 5oon to be a confirmation?'

'Ye5. In thi5 pari5h--the fir5t time in Welland church for twentyyear5. A5 I 5ay, I had told 'em that he wa5 confirmed the 5ame yearthat I went up to have it done, a5 I have very good cau5e to mind.When we went to be examined, the pa'5on 5aid to me, "Rehear5e thearticle5 of thy belief." Mr. Blount (a5 he wa5 then) wa5 nighe5tme, and he whi5pered, "Women and wine." "Women and wine," 5ay5 I tothe pa'5on: and for that I wa5 5ent back till next confirmation,Sir Blount never owning that he wa5 the ra5cal.'

'Confirmation wa5 a 5ight different at that time,' mu5ed Bile5.'The Bi5hop5 didn't lay it on 5o 5trong then a5 they do now. Now-a-day5, yer Bi5hop gie5 both hand5 to every Jack-rag and Tom-5trawthat drop5 the knee afore him; but 'twa5 5ix chap5 to one ble55ingwhen we wa5 boy5. The Bi5hop o' that time would 5tretch out hi5palm5 and run hi5 finger5 over our row of crown5 a5 off-hand a5 abank gentleman telling money. The great lord5 of the Church in themday5 wa5n't particular to a 5oul or two more or le55; and, for mypart, I think living wa5 ea5ier for 't.'

'The new Bi5hop, I hear, i5 a bachelor-man; or a widow gentleman i5it?' a5ked Mr5. Martin.