PERCY THE WIZARD
NICKNAMED SNAIL
ONG ago, when women spun at their spinning-wheels, there lived a man who was nicknamed Snail.
Snail was very fond of a glass, and his wife had a weakness for hotchpotch.
Every week Percy Snail took the thread his wife had spun to market. His wife never scolded him for losing a few pennies, or being muddle-headed on the way back, provided he brought all the necessary ingredients for a nice hotchpotch.
One day he sold the thread at a high price. He was in good spirits; all the way home he rattled the money in his pocket, thinking, “To-day I shall be able to have more than one glass.” He went into every little wayside inn he passed, in order to see where the best liquor was sold. Little by little his money began to disappear, until he had scarcely any left, and he realized at the same time that he was rather intoxicated. He stumbled along the road as well as he could, and on putting his hand in his pocket, found, to his great surprise, that he had only five farthings.
He counted them over and over again until he was forced to
THE NECESSARY INGREDIENTS FOR A NICE HOTCHPOTCH