Publisher's Synopsis
It is a curious fact, however, that, although most of the people in the village ofAshford seemed to agree with Mrs Grumbit in her opinion of Martin, there werevery few of them who did not smile cheerfully on the child when they met him, andsay, "Good day, lad!" as heartily as if they thought him the best boy in the place. Noone seemed to bear Martin Rattler ill-will, notwithstanding his alleged badness.Men laughed when they said he was a bad boy, as if they did not quite believe theirown assertion. The vicar, an old whiteheaded man, with a kind, hearty countenance, said that the child was full of mischief, full of mischief; but he would improve as hegrew older, he was quite certain of that. And the vicar was a good judge; for he hadfive boys of his own, besides three other boys, the sons of a distant relative, whoboarded with him; and he had lived forty years in a parish overflowing with boys, and he was particularly fond of boys in general. Not so the doctor, a pursy little manwith a terrific frown, who hated boys, especially little ones, with a very powerfulhatred. The doctor said that Martin was a scam
