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he'd always ha' been! She'd never have had to work in her old age if he had continued strong, poor Jim!'

'What was his age when 'a died?'

'Four hours and twenty minutes, poor Jim. 'A was born as might be at night; and 'a didn't last as might be till the morning. No, 'a didn't last. Mother called en Jim on the day that would ha' been his christening day if he had lived; and she's always thinking about en. You see he died so very young.'

'Well, 'twas rather youthful,' said Michael.

'Now to my mind that woman is very imaginative on the subject of children?' said the tranter, his eye precisely sweeping his audience as he spoke.

'Ah, well she may be,' said Leaf. 'She had twelve regularly one after another, and they all, except myself, died very young;