Now the utmost we had lost by our pigeons in the six months was $2 25, and he knew perfectly well how profitable they had since been to us.  He used jokingly to say, that we fed our guest with them in every mode of cookery so frequently, that they would alter the old grace of “for rabbits hot,” &c., and substitute the word “pigeon” in its place; so we thought it was ungenerous to reproach the poor birds with the scanty number they gave us the first few weeks they were in our dove-cote.

Silenced on that point, he returned to our unfortunate rabbit speculation, and complained that we had kept no account of the money we had lost by them.

Here H. stopped him saying,

“Pray, Mr. N., did you not purchase your children a pony, and did it not catch cold and die in a month afterwards?  I suppose Mrs. N. did not enter that in her housekeeper’s book as meat at so much a pound, and why should we put down the cost of the rabbits in our farming accounts?  No; of course it was entered among the ‘sundries.’”

“But you must allow,” said Mr. N., “that if you had done as I advised you, and taken a house in a street leading into one of the squares, you would have lived more cheaply than here.  Why, your gardener’s wages must more than swallow up any profit which you may think you make from your farm.  You must acknowledge you would have saved that expense.”

“Granted,” said I; “but we should most likely have paid quite as much to a doctor.  We never got through a year in town without a heavy bill to one; and we must have had all the expense and trouble of taking the children out of town during the hot weather, while the have had excellent health ever since they have been here; and with the exception, when some kind friend like yourself has asked one of them on a visit, neither of them has left home since we came here.  Of one thing I am quite sure, that we are much happier than we should have been in London; and that in every point of view, as regards expenditure, we are gainers.  I have not entered any profit arising from baking at home, though the difference is just three four-pound loaves weekly; and Mrs. N. will tell you what must be the saving by our having our own laundry.”

“Enough! enough!” said Mr. N., laughingly; “your evidence is overwhelming.  You almost force me to believe that I could live in the country, feed my own pork, and drink my own milk, without paying half a crown a pound for the one or a shilling a quart for the other, and this was what I never before believed possible; and I am quite sure, that if I were to put the assertion in a book, no one would believe me.”