“Him, was it,” said Peckaby, with affected scorn.  “He is in the forge now, he is; a-having his shoes changed, and his tail trimmed.”

“I’d give a shilling to anybody as ’ud cut his tail off;” angrily rejoined Mrs. Peckaby.  “A-deceiving of me, and turning my inside all of a quake!  Oh, I wish it ’ud come!  The white donkey as is to bear me to New Jerusalem!”

“Don’t you wish her joy of her journey, sir?” cried the man respectfully, a twinkle in his eye, while she rocked herself too and fro.  “She have got a bran new gownd laid up in a old apron upstairs, ready for the start.  She, and a lot more to help her, set on and made it in a afternoon, for fear the white donkey should arrive immediate.  I asks her, sir, how much back the gownd’ll have left in him, by the time she have rode from here to New Jerusalem.”

“Peckaby, you are a mocker!” interposed his lady, greatly exasperated.  “Remember the forty-two as was eat up by bears when they mocked at Elisher!”

“Mrs. Peckaby,” said Lionel, keeping his countenance, “don’t you think you would have made more sure of the benefits of the New Jerusalem, had you started with the rest, instead of depending upon the arrival of the white donkey?”

“They started without her, sir,” cried the man, laughing from ear to ear.  “They give her the slip, while she were a-bed and asleep.”

“It were revealed to Brother Jarrum so to do, sir,” she cried eagerly.  “Don’t listen to him.  Brother Jarrum as much meant me to go, sir, and I as much thought to go, as I mean to go to my bed this night—­always supposing the white donkey don’t come,” she broke off in a different voice.

“Why did you not go, then?” demanded Lionel.

“I’ll tell you about it, sir.  Me and Brother Jarrum was on the best of terms—­which it’s a real gentleman he was, and never said a word nor gave a look as could offend me.  I didn’t know the night fixed for the start; and Brother Jarrum didn’t know it; in spite of Peckaby’s insinuations.  On that last night, which it was Tuesday, not a soul came near the place but that pale lady where Dr. West attended.  She stopped a minute or two, and then Brother Jarrum goes out, and says he might be away all the evening.  Well, he was; but he came in again; I can be on my oath he did; and I give him his candle and wished him a good-night.  After that, sir, I never heard nothing till I got up in the morning.  The first thing I see was his door wide open, and the bed not slept in.  And the next thing I heard was, that the start had took place; they a-walking to Heartburg, and taking the train there.  You might just have knocked me down with a puff of wind.”

“Such a howling and screeching followed on, sir,” put in Peckaby.  “I were at the forge, and it reached all the way to our ears, over there.  Chuff, he thought as the place had took fire and the missis was a-burning.”