“A’a Michael,’ said Simon, ’aw think thy dowter is tryin to cram thi a bit; nah did ta iver catch th’ world th’ wrang side up, for aw niver did, an’ aw’ve lived a year or two?”

“Well, awm net able to argify it, all aw know is ’at awm tell’d soa.  But to come back to th’ old point, abaat this Schooil Booard, and technical eddication? nah what do yo call technical eddication?  Come, aat wi’ it some o’ yo ’at reckon to be soa weel up.”

“Wel,” said Dick, “technical eddication is, aw suppooas, summat ’at fowk leearns to do ’em some gooid, an’ if aw understand it reight, it’s summat ‘at fowk leearns withaat ony books or owt o’ that sooart.”

“Nay,” said Simon, “tha’rt wrang this time,—­if aw understand it, technical eddication meeans leearnin th’ names o’ things sich as stars an’ plants an’ joints o’ mait, an’ iverything o’ that sooart; isn’t that it, Michael?”

“Aw dooant think it is, aw think Dick’s nearer th’ mark nor thee, for aw believe it’s as he says, yo leearn it withaat ony books; in fact it’s that sooart o’ eddication at fowk have ‘at niver went to th’ schooil, it’s a sooart o’ common sense view o’ things,—­a sooart o’ beein able to invent a way to do owt yo want ommost.  Nah, aw’ll gie yo a sample o’ what aw call technical eddication.  My gronfayther wor booath deeaf an’ dumb an’ laim, aw can just recollect him, tho he deed when aw wor a lad; he wor born deeaf an’ dumb but he wornt born laim, that happened after he gate to be a man.  Well, he niver went to th’ schooil, but yet he wor one o’ th’ mooast genius chaps ‘at iver yo met i’ yor life; he’d a way ov his own o’ dooin iverything.  Aw’ve heeard mi fayther tell ’at when he wor a lad, ther wor a family o’ five on ’em, an’ they all worked at th’ factory, an’ as lads will, they sometimes stopt aat soa lat ov a neet ‘at they fan it varry hard wark to get up next mornin; an’ they had to be up at five o’clock ’coss they’d a long way to walk.  Nah, mi gronfayther could nawther get up nor call aat, but ha do yo think he managed to get’ ’em aat o’ bed?  He used to allus keep abaat a barro looad o’ brokken bricks at his bedside, an’ th’ lads used to know as sooin as they felt ’em flyin abaat ther heeads ’at it wor time to be stirrin:  one used to be enuff in a general way, but th’ second wor sure to do it, even if he wor a hard sleeper, an’ if th’ third didn’t wakken him, yo could book him for a tombstooan ony minit.  Nah that’s what aw call technical eddication.”

“Well, if throwin bricks at a chaps heead is technical eddication, aw dooant see ’at we want a Schooil Booard to taich us that,” said Jabez, “for ther’s lots ’at can manage that job withaat.  Nah awl tell yo what technical eddication is as yo all seem fast amang it.”

“Well, if tha can lawse us, we desarve putting in a pooak an’ shakkin up,” said Michael, low down, but just loud enough to be heard.