"Tha'rt a hard taskmaster, Abe," sighed the love-sick giant. "When aw swopped Mester Wrigley for going partner wi' yo' aw just jumped out o' th' frying-pan into th' fire. Aw'n put in more time at Mitchell Mill nor ever aw thowt it possible for one man to put in, an' th' sweat's run off me like fat out o' a Michaelmas gooise i' a hot oven. But aw'll do thee justice, Abe, tha'rt noan one to ax another to do what tha'rt noan ready to do thissen. Tha's swept an' painted an' mortared an' whitewashed inside an' outside yond' owd mill till tha stinks o' turps, an' limewash is all ovver thi yure (hair) an' face an' han's an' cloas to sich a tune tha'd do for a churchyard monniment, an' afore tha can go other to th' Hollygreave or onny other decent body's haase aw'st ha' to put thee i' th' scourin' pan and steam thee, an' then scrub thee dahn wi' th' besom." And indeed Jim and I had our hands full. Mitchell Mill had been long untenanted, and had fallen into sad disrepair inside and out. The thatch had fallen in in places, the doors hung on their hinges, there wasn't a whole window to the place, the mill-dam needed dredging, head-goit and tail-goit cleansing, the water-wheel ought justly to have been mended with a new one--but that was out of the question. But the masonry was good and solid, the floorings sound, and the iron of the gearing, though rusted, still firm. And we got a lease renewable at option for a nominal rental, and that meant a lot to us. Of course, we couldn't afford to employ slaters, or thackers, or masons, or carpenters, or painters, or millwrights; so we perforce turned ourselves into Jacks-of-all-trades. I made but poorly out except at the lighter jobs, but that Jim, though with many a grunt and groan more than half make-believe, did the work of six men. He had the strength of a Goliath, and could turn it to any use. Only give him plenty to eat and a fair allowance of his favourite homebrewed and Jim seemed as fresh as new paint and ready to start again after doing a day's work that would have made every bone in my body ache for a week.