"There is too much butter in this salt," she remarked. "It is some John Hencle brought in this morning. I must see him after breakfast and bid him caution his wife to use less."
But as they rose from the table John came in unsummoned, and carrying a fine large goose under each arm.
Bowing low: "I ish come to pring two gooses to de von hundredth birthday," he announced; "dey pees goot, peaceable pirds: I ish know dem for twenty years, and dey nefer makes no droubles."
A smile went round the little circle, but Miss Stanhope said, with a very pleased look, "Thank you, John; they shall be well fed, and I hope they will like their new quarters. How is Jake doing? I haven't seen him for some time."
"No; Shakey is go to school most days. I vants Shakey to knows somedings."
"Yes, indeed; I hope Jakey is going to have a good education. But what do you mean to do with him after he is done going to school?"
"Vy, I dinks I prings mine Shakey to town and hangs him on to Sheneral
Shmicdt and makes a brinting-office out of him."
"A printer, John? Well, that might be a very good thing if you don't need him to help you about the farm, or our grounds. I should think you would, though."
"Nein, nein," said John, shaking his head; "'tis not so long as I vants Shakey to makes mit me a fence; put I tash! Miss Stanhope, he say he ton't can know how to do it; and I says, 'I tash! Shakey, you peen goin' to school all your life, and you don't know de vay to makes a fence yet.'"
"Not so very strange," remarked Edward, with unmoved countenance, "for they don't teach fence-making in ordinary schools."