Gerard—­an unusual name in England; specially not to be looked for in the class to which she belonged.

When I reached Old Rogers’s cottage, whither I carried a few yards of ribbon, bought by myself, I assure my lady friends, with the special object that the colour should be bright enough for her taste, and pure enough of its kind for mine, as an offering to the good dame, and a small hymn-book, in which were some hymns of my own making, for the good man—­

But do forgive me, friends, for actually describing my paltry presents.  I can dare to assure you it comes from a talking old man’s love of detail, and from no admiration of such small givings as those.  You see I trust you, and I want to stand well with you.  I never could be indifferent to what people thought of me; though I have had to fight hard to act as freely as if I were indifferent, especially when upon occasion I found myself approved of.  It is more difficult to walk straight then, than when men are all against you.—­As I have already broken a sentence, which will not be past setting for a while yet, I may as well go on to say here, lest any one should remark that a clergyman ought not to show off his virtues, nor yet teach his people bad habits by making them look out for presents—­that my income not only seemed to me disproportioned to the amount of labour necessary in the parish, but certainly was larger than I required to spend upon myself; and the miserly passion for books I contrived to keep a good deal in check; for I had no fancy for gliding devil-wards for the sake of a few books after all.  So there was no great virtue—­was there?—­in easing my heart by giving a few of the good things people give their children to my poor friends, whose kind reception of them gave me as much pleasure as the gifts gave them.  They valued the kindness in the gift, and to look out for kindness will not make people greedy.

When I reached the cottage, I found not merely Jane there with her father and mother, which was natural on Christmas Day, seeing there seemed to be no company at the Hall, but my little Judy as well, sitting in the old woman’s arm-chair, (not that she Used it much, but it was called hers,) and looking as much at home as—­as she did in the pond.

“Why, Judy!” I exclaimed, “you here?”

“Yes.  Why not, Mr Walton?” she returned, holding out her hand without rising, for the chair was such a large one, and she was set so far back in it that the easier way was not to rise, which, seeing she was not greatly overburdened with reverence, was not, I presume, a cause of much annoyance to the little damsel.

“I know no reason why I shouldn’t see a Sandwich Islander here.  Yet I might express surprise if I did find one, might I not?”

Judy pretended to pout, and muttered something about comparing her to a cannibal.  But Jane took up the explanation.

“Mistress had to go off to London with her mother to-day, sir, quite unexpected, on some banking business, I fancy, from what I—­I beg your pardon, sir.  They’re gone anyhow, whatever the reason may be; and so I came to see my father and mother, and Miss Judy would come with me.”