I will first speak of myself.  Up to the age of nineteen I continued my career under the care of Bramble; we seldom remained long on shore, for neither Bramble nor I found home so agreeable since little Bessy had been sent to school, and Mrs. Maddox, assisted by a little girl, had charge of the house; indeed, Bramble appeared resolved to make all the money he could, that he might the sooner be able to give up his profession.  Mrs. Maddox I have spoken little of, because I had seen but little of her; now that she was downstairs, I will not say I saw, but I certainly heard too much of her, for she never ceased talking; not that she talked loud or screamed out—­on the contrary, she was of a mild amiable temper, but could not hold her tongue.  If she could not find any one to talk to she would talk to any thing; if she was making the fire she would apostrophize the sticks for not burning properly.  I watched her one morning as she was kneeling down before the grate: 

“Now, stick, you must go in,” said she; “it’s no use your resisting, and what’s more, you must burn, and burn quickly too—­d’ye hear? or the kettle won’t boil in time for breakfast.  Be quick, you little fellow—­burn away and light the others, there’s a good boy.”  Here she knocked down the tongs.  “Tongs, be quiet; how dare you make that noise?” Then, as she replaced them, “Stand up, sir, in your place until you are wanted.  Now, poker, your turn’s coming, we must have a stir directly.  Bless me, smoke, what’s the matter with you now? can’t you go up the chimney?  You can’t pretend to say the wind blows you down this fine morning, so none of your vagaries.  Now, fender, it’s your turn—­stand still till I give you a bit of a rub.  There, now you’re all right.  Table, you want your face washed—­your master has spilled his grog last night—­there now, you look as handsome as ever.  Well, old chair, how are you this morning?  You’re older than I am, I reckon, and yet you’re stouter on your legs.  Why, candle, are you burning all this while?  Why didn’t you tell me?  I would have put you out long ago.  Come, now, don’t be making a smell here—­send it up the chimney.”

Thus would she talk to everything.  We only had two animals in the house—­a cat and a canary bird:  of course they were not neglected, but somehow or another the cat appeared to get tired of it, for it would rise and very gently walk into the back kitchen; and as for the canary bird, like all other canary birds, as soon as he was talked to be would begin to sing, and that so loud that Mrs. Maddox was beaten out of the field.  Bramble bore with her very well, but at the same time he did not like it:  he once said to me, “Well, if Bessy were at Deal, I think I would take a short spell now; but as for that poor good old soul, whose tongue is hung on the middle and works at both ends, she does tire one, and that’s the truth.”  But she really was a good-natured, kind creature, ready to oblige in everything; and I believe that she