THE IMPERTURBABILITY OF THE AGRI- CULTURAL LABOURER.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."'
SIR,—There is oue feature of the character of the agri- cultural labourer, in these parts at any rate, with which he is perhaps not sufficiently credited,— a good-natured imperturbability under adverse conditions. This quality was strikingly illustrated a few days ago in a most respectable young man and his wife, belonging to this parish. I was walking up the village, when I saw, to my dismay, that the entire gable-end of one of the cottages had fallen bodily out, of coarse exposing the rooms, both upstairs and down. My first thought was naturally for the safety of the family. But there were my friends just returning from an errand, and this was the conversation which followed:—" Oh, B., what has happened to your cottage P "—" It's only the end have a-fallen out, Sir" (cheerfully).—" Only the end ; but when did it happen? "
— "Last night about 1 o'clock. My missis and I were sleeping in one of those bedrooms, when she suddenly heard a noise. I do sleep very hard, Sir ; but at last she woke me, and said, 'What be that, Bill P' Oh,' says I, it be this 'ere blessed end of t' house have a-fallen out.' And sure enough, so 't were. But then we'd been expecting of it some time. We knew he wer'n't very safe."—" But what did you do?"— "Well, I tried to light a candle, but 'twere blowin' and rainin' very hard, and the wind blew he out every time I lighted 'im. So we just lay quiet till 5 o'clock, and then we got up, for 'twere gettin' a bit public-like."—" Weren't you frightened?"
— " Oh no, Sir, you see we'd been expectin' of it."—" But what are you going to do P "—" Oh, Mr. — will send some bricks, and he'll be build up again in a day or two."—" But you're surely not going to stay here to-night P "—" Oh yes, Sir (from the woman), Bill says he don't want to move. I could go down to my father's, but I may just as well stop along with Bill." And so they did. A friendly neighbour nailed up a sailcloth to make their rooms a little less "public- like," and to afford some protection from the weather, and there they stayed one more night at least, after which some of ns succeeded in inducing them to move until the wall of their home was rebuilt. I say nothing as to the incidence of blame for the dilapidated state of a cottage in which such an accident could occur. But the quiet and uncomplaining and good-humoured bearing of these people through the catas- trophe seems to me food for reflection —I am, Sir, &c., A SOUTH COUNTRY VICAR.
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