Page:Beautiful and interesting account of the shepherd of Salisbury Plain.pdf/17

21 on quietly with their dinner, he  sit down. Though a good deal, they thought it most respect obey the gentleman, who having  his eye on their slender provisions,  rebuked the Shepherd for not  indulged himself, as it was Sunday, with a morsel of bacon to relish his. The Shepherd said nothing, but poor Mary coloured and hung down head, saying, indeed Sir, it is not my fault, I did beg my husband to allow himself a bit of meat out of your  bounty, but he was too good  do it, and it is all for my fare. The Shepherd seemed unwilling to come to an explanation, but Mr Johnson desired Mary to go on. So she continued: You must know, Sir, that both of us, next to sin, dread a debt, and indeed, in some cases, a debt is a sin; but with all our care and pains we have never been able to quite pay off the doctor's bill, for that bad fit of the rheumatism which I had last winter.