The flitch of bacon; or, The custom of Dunmow a tale of English home - Paperback

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: of the bells. I must go and see if any one alights from it. Recollect, my dear. Always keep watch upon yourself ? before people." Of the strange guest who arrived at the Flitch. Jingle ! jingle! jingle! Blithe music make those tiny bells. No sound so pleasant. It awakens all Dumnow, and the gossips of the place issue forth to gaze at the huge lumbering waggon, as it moves slowly along, grinding the ice and frozen mud to powder. The powerful team that draw it are well shod, and keep their feet stoutly upon the slippery road. Six strong black horses;' the leaders with bells on their collars, jingling merrily and tunefully. Children shout; dogs bark, and Ben the waggoner cracks his long whip. At length, the mighty vehicle stops at the Old Inn. The little bells are mute, unless one of the leaders of the team chances to snort and shake his mighty neck. Simultaneously with the stoppage Jonas Nettlebed and Tom Tapster issue from the porch. Carroty Dick is already there, attending to the horses, while Ben the waggoner informs the landlord, that he has got a customer for him: an old gentleman named Plot, whom he took up at Saffron Walden. "That's the name on his portmantle anyhow, so I s'pose it be his'n," Ben said ? "he's a cur'ousish sort of chap, he is. There that be he a-callin' out." "Here Dick ? here Tom ? go fetch the steps ? and help the gentleman out," Jonas cried, as an elderly personage, wrapped in a large blue roquelaure, withhis hands stuffed into a muff, a comforter round his throat, and an extra pair of woollen stockings drawn above his knees, got out of the waggon. And not without some difficulty, for his numerous wraps rather impeded his movements. However, he and his portmanteau were safely landed at last. It then appeared that the old gentleman was lame...