“But it don’t say the good, only the evil, ma’rm; mind that,” put in Mr Lathrope. “Some folks seem to take a pleasure in twisting Scripture contrariwise, jest to suit theer own squintin’-one-eye-skimmin’-the-pot-and-t’other-lookin’-up-the-chimbley sort of conscience!”
“Some people,” retorted the lady, “never apply the parable of the mote and the beam, because they can’t see their own faults.”
“We should live and let live,” said Mr Meldrum, trying to put a stop to a sort of argument which was endlessly going on between the pair of combatants, much to his annoyance generally, when Florry created a diversion.
“Look!” she exclaimed. “Puss has caught another mouse!”
“Thar, boss,” said Mr Lathrope laughing, “is a case in pint, to illustrate yer saying about lettin’ folks be. I’m afeard me and Missis Meejur is unkimmon like the mouse and the cat!”
“Speak for yourself, please,” interposed the lady, thinking that he meant to designate her as the feline animal. “If you’ve a mind to liken yourself to one of those dreadful creatures that are always nibbling, I don’t choose to be called a cat.”
“I aren’t a bit pertickler what you call me, ma’rm,” replied the American very good-humouredly, “although I confess I am a bit partial to nibblin’ when thar’s anything good to eat!”
“That’s you all over,” said Mrs Major with much satisfaction; when, as she appeared pleased, Mr Lathrope allowed the conversation to rest there, which satisfied Mr Meldrum also, as he did not like these continual bickerings going on before the younger members of the party, besides their being, as has been said, especially distasteful to himself.
The next day it stopped snowing altogether; consequently a vegetable-hunting expedition was organised, a small party which started up the valley managing to bring back with some difficulty a few heads of cabbage, which with the dried rabbits alone now constituted their daily fare—both the beef and pork getting so low that Mr Meldrum had to stop their issue, although the men were not so hard pressed yet as to take to the salted sea-elephant.
Had the cabbage not been out of the line of drift, in a more secluded portion of the creek, the vegetable-seekers would have been unable to find it; for, the entire landscape was covered with a deep snow that was evenly distributed over hollow and hill alike—the lower lying land and the higher eminences so running into one another that they could not be distinguished. The tops of the loftiest peaks, indeed, seemed to be dwarfed down to the monotonous level of the plain; and, where elevated at all, they resembled more a cluster of little round mounds like sugar-loaves than anything else!