In that he resembled Bettesworth, then. I asked if Jerry had no wife. "She died about two year ago. Poor thing--she'd bin through _every_thing; bin to hospitals and all." It was one hop-picking, about nine years ago, and just after she was married, that "they was larkin' about--jest havin' a bit o' fun, ye know; there wasn't no spite in it--and one of 'em swished her right across the eye with a hop-bine.... I s'pose 'twas something frightful, afore she died; 't had eat right into her head." The old man pondered over the horror, then continued, "There must be something poisonous about hop-bine. Same as with a ear o' corn. How many you sees have lost an eye by an ear o' corn swishin' into it! En't you ever heard of it? _I_'ve knowed it, many's a time. There was" (I forget whom he named)--"it jest flicked 'n across the sight, and he went purty near mad wi' the pain of it. Oats is the worst. Well, as you knows, oats is so thin, 't'll stick to the eyeball purty near like paper.... But I'd sooner cut oats than any other; it cuts so sweet. That was always my favourite corn to cut. Cert'nly I en't never had no accident with it. Barley cuts sweet, but 't en't like oats." The next day's chatter gives one more touch to the picture of Bettesworth's pleasant intercourse with his neighbours at this period. Apropos of nothing at all the old man began his story. _January 11, 1905._--"When I went home last night I see my door was open; but I never went in, because you knows I had to go on further to take that note for you. But after I'd done that I come back same way, and then I see a light in the winder. 'Hullo!' I says to myself. 'What's up now, then?' So I pushed on; and when I got indoors there was old Nanny--she'd made up my fire an' biled my kettle, an' was gettin' my dinner ready. Ah, an' she'd bin upstairs, too: she'd scrubbed it out--all the rooms; and she says, 'I've made yer bed too, Fred....' But I give her a shillin', so she can't go about sayin' she done all this for me for nothin'. _She_ en't got nothin' to complain of. Besides, 't wants a scrub out now an' again. Not as 'twas anyways _dirty_, 'cause _t'en't_. She said so herself. 'If it's a fine day to-morrer, Fred, I'll come an' scrub your floors out for ye: 't'll do 'em good. Not as they be DIRTY,' she says; 'I see 'em myself, so I knows....' Well, so she did. She come in last week, and hung my new curtains.... I've had new curtains" (little muslin blinds) "to the winders, upstairs an' down--I bought 'em week afore last--and ol' Nan 've made 'em an' put 'em up for me. No mistake she is a one to work! Works as hard as any young gal--and she between seventy an' eighty." I said, "Yes, she's one of the right sort, is Nanny." "One o' the right sort for me. 'Tis to be hoped nothin' 'll ever happen to _she_!"