he was as clear-headed, when he took a thing the right way, as any
man could be, and as clever, and could talk as well as any member of
parliament--and good-natured, and kind-hearted, where he would take a
fancy--but then, may be, it would be to a dog (he was remarkably fond
of dogs), or a cat, or a rat even, that he would take a fancy, and
think more of 'em than he would of a Christian. But, poor gentleman,
there's great allowance," said she, "to be made for him, that lost
his son and heir--that would have been heir to all, and a fine youth
that he doted upon. But," continued the old woman, in whose mind
the transitions from great to little, from serious to trivial, were
ludicrously abrupt, "that was no reason why the old gentleman should
scold me last time he was here, as he did, for as long as ever he
could stand over me, only because I killed a mouse who was eating
my cheese; and, before night, he beat a boy for stealing a piece of
that same cheese; and he would never, when down here, let me set a
mouse-trap."

"Well, my good woman," interrupted Lord Colambre, who was little
interested in this affair of the mouse-trap, and nowise curious to
learn more of Mr. Reynolds' domestic economy, "I'll not trouble
you any farther, if you can be so good as to tell me the road to
Toddrington, or to Little Wickham, I think you call it."

"Little Wickham!" repeated the woman, laughing--"Bless you, sir, where
do you come from? It's Little Wrestham: sure every body knows, near
Lantry; and keep the _pike_ till you come to the turn at Rotherford,
and then you strike off into the by-road to the left, and then turn
again at the ford to the right. But, if you are going to Toddrington,
you don't go the road to market, which is at the first turn to the
left, and the cross country road, where there's no quarter, and