contrivance, and should like to see one of the old-fashioned grandmothers crimping her cap at it. In addition to flowers in the bow window, and the brass candlesticks standing on the mantel-piece, one whole side of the room was hung with brilliant parts of two or three harnesses, making a considerable show of silver-plated ornaments. In a word, it was as unique a room as an amateur of such characteristics could wish to meet with in any English wayside inn. So we enjoyed our tea-supper with a relish which our walk alone would not have given to it.
Having the whole evening on our hands, we sauntered out to see the village of Tong and its church by night. We soon overtook a roadful of the living victims of the shambles clattering along, in happy unconsciousness of their fate, to the butcher. What a happy provision in their nature that these honest-eyed, innocent creatures are never visited with thoughts of their future; that no presentiment of Smithfield, or of any other butcher's field of slaughter, ever troubles a moment of their short lives either in the pasture or on the road to the axe or the knife! It was an average detachment, consisting of well-fed sheep and young bullocks and heifers, the latter leading the way and always inclined to take the wrong one when a cross-road was reached. It was quite dark, but Capern caught a glimpse of several real
