Man-woman relationships -- Fiction; Marriage -- Fiction; Women -- Social and moral questions -- Fiction
"Ay, as much as ivver ye like," he said accommodatingly. "But I wish I'd
browt my voice jewjewbes. Ay, I willn't be t' only one 'at isn't
talking! T' rest on ye talks--ding, it's like a lamb's tail, waggin' all
day and nowt done at neet--so we mud as weel all be friendly-like! Talk!
Ay, let's have a talk! Here ye all are, all wi' your fine voices an'
fine clothes, an' ivvery one o' ye wi' t' conveeanience i' t' house, I
don't doubt, an' I'll bet a gallon there isn't one o' ye's ivver done a
hands-turn i' your lives! Nay, ye're waur nor my Aunt Kate! Come down to
Aberford an' I'll show ye summat! Come--it's a invitaation--I'll see it
doesn't cost ye nowt! T' lads is all working, all but t' youngest, an'
we're nooan wi'out! No, we're nooan wi'out at our house! I'll interdewce
ye to t' missis, an' ye can help her to peel t' potates, an' ye can go
down i' t' cage if ye like! Come, an' I'll kill a pig, just for love.
Come of a Sunda' dinner-time, when t' beef's hot. Wilkinson knows what I
mean; he knows t' life; he reckons not to when he's wi' his fine
friends, but Wilkie's had to lie i' bed while his shirt was being mended
afore to-day!... Nay, the hengments!" He broke into a jovial laugh. "Ye
know nowt about it, an' ye nivver will! These 'ere young pistills fro'
t' Collidge--what are they maalakin' at? It doesn't tak' five thousand
pound a year to learn a lad not to write a mucky word on a wall!" (Here
Dickie Lemesurier turned her back on the speaker).... "They want to get
back to their Collidges. T' gap's ower wide. They'll get lost o' t'
road. Same as him 'at wrote t' book about t' pop-shop----," again Mr.
Crabtree's forefinger was levelled between Mr. Brimby's eyes. "Brimbyin'
about, an' they don't know a black puddin' from a Penny Duck! Has he
ivver had to creep up again t' chimley-wall to keep himself warm i' bed,
or to pull t' kitchen blinds down while he washed himself of a Saturda'
afternooin? But ye can all come an' see if ye like. We've had to tew for
it, but we're nooan wi'out now. An' I'll show ye a bit o' sport too. We
all have we'r whippets, an' we can clock t' pigeons in, an'
see what sort of a bat these young maisters can mak' at
knurr-an'-spell--eighteen-and-a-half score my youngest lad does! Ay, we
enjoy we'rsens! An' there's quoits an' all. Eighteen yards is my
distance if onnybody wants to laake for a beast's-heart supper!
Come--ding it, t' lot o' ye come! We can sleep fower o' ye, wed 'uns,
heads to tails, if ye don't mind all being i' t' little cham'er----"
But by this time Mr. Crabtree was having to struggle to keep his
audience. Mr. Brimby too had turned away, and Mr. Wilkinson, and even
Miss Belchamber had spoken several words of her own accord to the young
Balliol boy. The tide of sound began to rise again, so that once more
Mr. Crabtree's voice was only one among many. Then Walter started
forward with an "Ah, Amory!" and "Hallo, Strong!" Mr. Raffinger of the
McGrath exclaimed....
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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