“These humourous retorts are ever at her tongue’s end; and, albeit, as Jacky one day angrilie remarked, when she had beene teazing him, ‘Bess, thy witt is stupidnesse;’ yet, for one who talks soe much at random, no one can be more keene when she chooseth. Father sayd of her, half fondly, half apologeticallie to Erasmus. ‘Her wit has a fine subtletie that eludes you almoste before you have time to recognize it for what it really is.’ To which, Erasmus readilie assented, adding, that it had y^{e} rare meritt of playing less on persons than things, and never on bodilie defects. “Hum!—I wonder if they ever sayd as much in favour of me. I knowe, indeede, Erasmus calls me a forward girl! Alas! that may be taken in two senses.” * * * * * “Grievous work, overnighte, with y^{e} churning. Nought w^{d} persuade Gillian but that y^{e} creame was bewitched by Gammer Gurney, who was dissatisfyde last Friday with her dole, and hobbled away mumping and cursing. At alle events y^{e} butter w^{d} not come; but mother was resolute not to have soe much good creame wasted; soe sent for Bess and me, Daisy and Mercy Giggs, and insisted on our churning in turn till y^{e} butter came, if we sate up all nighte for’t. ’Twas a hard saying; and mighte have hampered her like as Jephtha his rash vow: howbeit, soe soone as she had left us, we turned it into a frolick, and sang Chevy Chase from end to end, to beguile time; ne’erthelesse, the butter w^{d} not come; soe then we grew sober, and, at y^{e} instance of sweete Mercy, chaunted y^{e} 119th Psalme; and, by the time we had attayned to ‘Lucerna pedibus,’ I heard y^{e} buttermilk separating and splashing in righte earnest. ’Twas neare midnighte, however; and Daisy had fallen asleep on y^{e} dresser. Gillian will ne’er be convinced but that our Latin brake the spell.” A few pages farther, we are let into the secret of the who, and the wherefore, of the aforesaid merry damsels, “Daisy and Bess, and Mercy Giggs, and I,” who are to be our delectable companions through many a mirthful, many a melancholy page.