ANNET. Millie’s not a-dressing of herself up. I heard her crying
pitiful as I was gathering flowers in the garden.
ELIZABETH. Crying? She’ll have something to cry about if she doesn’t
look out, when her father comes in, and hears how she’s a-going on.
MAY. I wonder why Cousin Millie’s taking on like this. I shouldn’t, if
’twas me getting married.
ELIZABETH. Look you, May, you get and run up, and knock at the door and
tell her that ’twill soon be time for us to set off to church and that
she have got to make haste in her dressing.
MAY. I’ll run, Aunt, only ’tis very likely as she’ll not listen to
anything that I say. [MAY _goes out_.
ELIZABETH. Now Annet, no idling here, if you please. Set the nosegay in
water, and when you’ve given a look round to see that everything is in
its place, upstairs with you, and on with your bonnet, do you hear?
Uncle won’t wish to be kept waiting for you, remember.
ANNET. I’m all ready dressed, except for my bonnet, Aunt. ’Tis Millie
that’s like to keep Uncle waiting this morning. [_She goes out_.
[DANIEL _comes in_.
DANIEL. Well, Mother—well, girls—but, bless my soul, where’s Millie got
to?
ELIZABETH. Millie has not seen fit to shew herself this morning, Father.
She’s biding up in her room with the door locked, and nothing that I’ve
been able to say has been attended to, so perhaps you’ll kindly have your
try.
DANIEL. Bless my soul—where’s May? Where’s Annet? Send one of the
little maids up to her, and tell her ’tis very nigh time for us to be
off.
ELIZABETH. I’m fairly tired of sending up to her, Father. You’d best go
yourself.
[MAY _comes into the room_.
MAY. Please Aunt, the door, ’tis still locked, and Millie is crying ever
so sadly within, and she won’t open to me, nor speak, nor nothing.
ELIZABETH. There, Father,—perhaps you’ll believe what I tell you another
time. Millie has got that hardened and wayward, there’s no managing of
her, there’s not.
DANIEL. Ah, ’twon’t be very long as us’ll have the managing of she.
’Twill be young Andrew as’ll take she in hand after this day.
ELIZABETH. ’Tis all very well to talk of young Andrew, but who’s a-going
to get her to church with him I’d like to know.
DANIEL. Why, ’tis me as’ll do it, to be sure.
ELIZABETH. Very well, Father, and we shall all be much obliged to you.
[DANIEL _goes to the door and shouts up the stairs_.
DANIEL. Well, Millie, my wench. Come you down here. ’Tis time we did
set out. Do you hear me, Mill. ’Tis time we was off.
[ELIZABETH _waits listening_. _No answer comes_.
DANIEL. Don’t you hear what I be saying, Mill? Come you down at once.
[_There is no answer_.
DANIEL. Millie, there be Andrew a-waiting for to take you to church.
Come you down this minute.
ELIZABETH. You’d best take sommat and go and break open the door,
Father. ’Tis the sensiblest thing as you can do, only you’d never think
of anything like that by yourself.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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