DOBSON. But, Steer, thaw thou be haäle anew I seed tha a-limpin' up just now wi' the roomatics i' the knee. STEER. Roomatics! Noä; I laäme't my knee last night running arter a thief. Beänt there house-breäkers down i' Littlechester, Dobson--doänt ye hear of ony? DOBSON. Ay, that there be. Immanuel Goldsmiths was broke into o' Monday night, and ower a hoonderd pounds worth o' rings stolen. STEER. So I thowt, and I heärd the winder--that's the winder at the end o' the passage, that goäs by thy chaumber. (_Turning to_ EVA.) Why, lass, what maäakes tha sa red? Did 'e git into thy chaumber? EVA. Father! STEER. Well, I runned arter thief i' the dark, and fell ageän coalscuttle and my kneeä gev waäy or I'd ha' cotched 'im, but afoor I coomed up he got thruff the winder ageän. EVA. Got thro' the window again? STEER. Ay, but he left the mark of 'is foot i' the flowerbed; now theer be noän o' my men, thinks I to mysen, 'ud ha' done it 'cep' it were Dan Smith, fur I cotched 'im once a-stealin' coäls an' I sent fur 'im, an' I measured his foot wi' the mark i' the bed, but it wouldn't fit-- seeäms to me the mark wur maäde by a Lunnun boot. (_Looks at_ EVA.) Why, now, what maäkes tha sa white? EVA. Fright, father! STEER. Maäke thysen eäsy. I'll hev the winder naäiled up, and put Towser under it. EVA. (_Clasping her hands_.) No, no, father! Towser'll tear him all to pieces. STEER. Let him keep awaäy, then; but coom, coom! let's be gawin. They ha' broached a barrel of aäle i' the long barn, and the fiddler be theer, and the lads and lasses 'ull hev a dance. EVA. (_Aside_.) Dance! small heart have I to dance. I should seem to be dancing upon a grave. STEER. Wheer be Mr. Edgar? about the premises? DOBSON. Hallus about the premises! STEER. So much the better, so much the better. I likes 'im, and Eva likes 'im. Eva can do owt wi' 'im; look for 'im, Eva, and bring 'im to the barn. He 'ant naw pride in 'im, and we'll git 'im to speechify for us arter dinner. EVA. Yes, father! [_Exit_. STEER. Coom along then, all the rest o' ye! Churchwarden be a coomin, thaw me and 'im we niver 'grees about the tithe; and Parson mebbe, thaw he niver mended that gap i' the glebe fence as I telled 'im; and Blacksmith, thaw he niver shoes a herse to my likings; and Baäker, thaw I sticks to hoäm-maäde--but all on 'em welcome, all on 'em welcome; and I've hed the long barn cleared out of all the machines, and the sacks, and the taäters, and the mangles, and theer'll be room anew for all o' ye. Foller me. ALL. Yeas, yeas! Three cheers for Mr. Steer! [_All exeunt except_ DOBSON _into barn_. _Enter_ EDGAR. DOBSON (_who is going, turns_). Squire!--if so be you be a squire. EDGAR. Dobbins, I think. DOBSON. Dobbins, you thinks; and I thinks ye weärs a Lunnun boot. EDGAR. Well? DOBSON. And I thinks I'd like to taäke the measure o' your foot. EDGAR. Ay, if you'd like to measure your own length upon the grass.