I had heard of this interesting family , and took a look as I passed by . A second tidy pig sat blowing the fire ; and a third was eating roast-beef , as if he had just come in from his work . The fourth , I was grieved to see , looked very sulky ; for it was evident he had been naughty , and so lost his dinner . The little pig was at the door , crying to get in ; and it was sweet to see how kindly the others let him in , wiped his tears , tied on his bib , and brought him his bread and milk . I was very glad to see these young orphans doing so well , and I knew my friends at home would enjoy hearing from them . A loud scream made me jump ; and the sudden splash of water made me run along , without stopping to pick up a boy and girl who came tumbling down the hill , with an empty pail , bumping their heads as they rolled . Smelling something nice , and feeling hungry , I stepped into a large room near by , -- a sort of eating-house , I fancy ; for various parties seemed to be enjoying themselves in their different ways . A small boy sat near the door , eating a large pie ; and he gave me a fine plum which he had just pulled out . At one table was a fat gentleman cutting another pie , which had a dark crust , through which appeared the heads of a flock of birds , all singing gayly . `` There 's no end to the improvements in cooking , and no accounting for tastes , '' I added , looking at a handsomely-dressed lady , who sat near , eating bread and honey . As I passed this party , I saw behind the lady 's chair a maid , with a clothes-pin in her hand , and no nose . She sobbingly told me a bird had nipped it off ; and I gave her a bit of court-plaster , which I fortunately had in my pocket . Another couple were dividing their meat in a queer way ; for one took all the fat , and the other all the lean . The next people were odder still ; for the man looked rather guilty , and seemed to be hiding a three-peck measure under his chair , while he waited for his wife to bring on some cold barley-pudding , which , to my surprise , she was frying herself . I also saw a queer moonstruck-looking man inquiring the way to Norridge ; and another man making wry faces over some plum-pudding , with which he had burnt his mouth , because his friend came down too soon . I ordered pease-porridge hot , and they brought it cold ; but I did n't wait for any thing else , being in a hurry to see all there was to be seen on this strange island . Feeling refreshed , I strolled on , passing a jolly old gentleman smoking and drinking , while three fiddlers played before him . As I turned into a road that led toward a hill , a little boy , riding a dapple-gray pony , and an old lady on a white horse , with bells ringing somewhere , trotted by me , followed by a little girl , who wished to know where she could buy a penny bun . I told her the best were at Newmarch 's , in Bedford Street , and she ran on , much pleased ; but I 'm afraid she never found that best of bake-shops . I was going quietly along , when the sound of another horse coming made me look round ; and there I saw a dreadful sight , -- a wild horse , tearing over the ground , with fiery eyes and streaming tail .
On his back sat a crazy man , beating him with a broom ; a crazy woman was behind him , with her bonnet on wrong side before , holding one crazy child in her lap , while another stood on the horse ; a XXXXX was hanging on by one foot , and all were howling at the top of their voices as they rushed by .
Norridge bake-shops clothes-pin court-plaster eating-house fiddlers fire fourth smoking third