being pointed out as the man who had been safely delivered of a bull.
There was at first a west gallery in which was a barrel-organ that played four chants, of which the Grand Chant and Lord Mornington's were two, and half a dozen psalm tunes. We children also possessed a barrel-organ. One of the tunes was entitled "The Devil's Hop." My father changed the title to "De Ville's Hope."
In the adjoining village of Stowford a small organ had been installed, and an announcement was made to the parishes round that on the following Sunday the organ would be "opened." Accordingly a large congregation assembled. But when the voluntary was being played at the entry of the clergy the organ uttered a gasp and became silent. After some fumbling, and many whispers, the clerk stood forward and said: "This here is to give notice, that the entertainment with the orging is persponed to next Sunday, as her bellies (bellows) be bust."
I can recall an occasion on which, before the sermon, a stranger stood up and announced: "I be here to collect one 'undred fourpenny bits, from six parishes; for and becos my darter her has eppepilickstick fits." And he stood in the porch, the service ended, with his hat extended collecting the offerings.
As a very little fellow I was given Butler's Analogy, with injunctions to cut the pages with an ivory paper-knife during the Sermon. I did half of the book, and on the following Sunday before going to church, asked to be allowed Butterflies' Agony that I might finish what I had begun on the previous Lord's Day. Usually I was supplied with a volume of Sir William Jardine's Naturalist's Library with its coloured plates,to engage my attention and check restlessness whilst the parson prosed from the pulpit. When I had gone through the volumes of Birds, Moths and Butterflies, there remained one on Monkeys. " But," said my mother, " we must draw the line somewhere, and we will draw it at Apes." So, to my regret, the volume was taken away. But when Christmas Day arrived, as that was not a Sunday, I was suffered to take the book and peruse the portraits of ourang-outang, chimpanzee, gibbon and baboon, without risk of Sabbath-breaking.
I fear that I was a bad-tempered urchin in early days. On
