"I'll let him know. He shall marry me, that he shall."
"Ay, so he shall, Dally."
"And you'll help me, gran'fa?"
"Of course I will, my pretty."
"Then I'll tell you what I came to say."
"Wasn't it for money, then?"
"Money? No. A girl with a face like mine don't want money, and I shall
have plenty when I'm up at the Hall."
"Toe be sure, Dally. Toe be sure. Ay, but you are a clever gel!"
"Then, look here, gran'fa, you'll help me to make doctor give Tom
Candlish a big thrashing."
"Ay, if I can. I should like it. He threatened me wi' his whip t'other
day 'cause I said the sheep mustn't come in th' churchyard. Parson May
found fault, and Squire ca'd me an old mummy, and said he'd put in pigs
if he liked. I'd like to see doctor mummying him, same as he does his
brother--eh; help you, lass?"
"Yes; but it wasn't the doctor, it was master made a mummy of Squire
Tom. You're mixing 'em up."
"Ay, I s'pose I am, Dally; but I'm not very old yet."
"Then you'll help me, gran'fa?"
"Will it help you to get to be my lady at the Hall?" said the old man
dubiously. "Of course, gran'fa, or I wouldn't do it," said the girl,
who had wrenched herself round, kneeling at the old man's feet, and
resting her elbows on his knees, her little dimpled chin upon her hands.
"What do you want me to do, then?"
"I want you to help me serve them out."
"Ay, and how?"
"I want doctor to find out that Leo Salis is a down bad one."
"Ay, she is, my lass; and not good enough for him."
"And I want the doctor to beat Tom Candlish and stop him from going
after Leo Salis, and then he'd come altogether to me."
"Ay, that's right, Dally; that's right. I want to see thee my leddy up
at the Hall."
"Then, look here: you take the doctor some night, and show him when
Leo--ugh! how I hate the minx!--is along with my Tom."
"Ay, but how, lass, how?"
"I'll tell you, gran'fa," whispered Dally vindictively. "Master ordered
Squire Tom never to come to the Rectory again."
"Ay."
"So he gave me notes to take to Miss Leo."
"And you was fool enough to take 'em?"
"Yes, gran'fa; but that's how it began with me, and he soon told me he
didn't care for her, and that he only wrote to Leo so as to make her
send me out with notes to him, so that we could court."
"Oh! He's a nice 'un," growled Moredock. "He allus was. Well?"
"And now Tom's fooling me and meets Leo, and they court, and I dare say
they laugh at me," cried Dally vindictively.
"I dessay; but you'll make him marry you, Dally."
"I will, gran'fa. Now listen: because Tom can't come to the Rectory,
and Leo can't go to him because master watches her, they meet of a
night."
"Nay. Tchah!"
"They do, gran'fa."
"What? Does he come to the Rect'ry o' nights?"
"No. She waits till every one's asleep, and then she goes to him."
"Nay, do she, lass?" cried the old man. "Yes, gran'fa. She gets out of
her bedroom window, and down on to the summer-house, and then goes."
"How do you know?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account