‘No, my lord,’ replied Mrs. Springwheat, laughing, ‘these are girls,’ laying her hand on the heads of two of them, who were now full giggle at the idea of being taken for boys.

‘Well, they’re devilish handsome, anyhow,’ replied his lordship, thinking he might as well be done with the inspection.

Springwheat himself now made his appearance, as fine a sample of a man as his wife was of a woman.  His face was flushed with the exertion of pulling on his tight boots, and his lordship felt the creases the hooks had left as he shook him by the hand.

‘Well, Springey,’ said he, ’I was just asking your wife after the new babby.’

‘Oh, thank you, my lord,’ replied Springey, with a shake of his curly head; ’thank you, my lord; no new babbies, my lord, with wheat below forty, my lord.’

‘Well, but you’ve got a pair of new boots, at all events,’ observed his lordship, eyeing Springwheat’s refractory calves bagging over the tops of them.

‘’Deed have I!’ replied Springwheat; ’and a pair of uncommon awkward tight customers they are,’ added he, trying to move his feet about in them.

’Ah! you should always have a chap to wear your boots a few times before you put them on yourself,’ observed his lordship.  ’I never have a pair of tight uns,’ added he; ‘Jack here always does the needful by mine.’

‘That’s all very well for lords,’ replied Mr. Springwheat; ’but us farmers wear out our boots fast enough ourselves, without anybody to help us.’

‘Well, but I s’pose we may as well fall to,’ observed his lordship, casting his eye upon the well-garnished table.  ’All these good things are meant to eat, I s’pose,’ added he:  ’cakes, and sweets, and jellies without end:  and as to your sideboard,’ said he, turning round and looking at it, ’it’s a match for any Lord Mayor’s.  A round of beef, a ham, a tongue, and is that a goose or a turkey?’

‘A turkey, my lord,’ replied Springwheat; ‘home-fed, my lord.’

‘Ah, home-fed, indeed!’ ejaculated his lordship, with a shake of the head:  ’home-fed:  wish I could feed at home.  The man who said that

    E’en from the peasant to the lord,
    The turkey smokes on every board,

told a big un, for I’m sure none ever smokes on mine.’

‘Take a little here to-day, then,’ observed Mr. Springwheat, cutting deep into the white breast.

‘I will,’ replied his lordship, ‘I will:  and a slice of tongue, too,’ added he.

‘There are some hot sausingers comin’,’ observed Mr. Springwheat.

‘You don’t say so,’ replied his lordship, apparently thunderstruck at the announcement.  ‘Well, I must have all three.  By Jove, Jack!’ said he, appealing to his friend, ’but you’ve lit on your legs coming here.  Here’s a breakfast fit to set before the Queen—­muffins, and crumpets, and cakes.  Let me advise you to make the best use of your time, for you have but twenty minutes,’ continued his lordship, looking at his watch, ’and muffins and crumpets don’t come in your way every day.’