“Thear!” said Zantippa, as shoo watched ’em aght o’th seet, “Aw’ve managed that varry weel.  Aw wod’nt ha’ let him know for all th’ brass i’th bank ‘at aw’d been talkin’ woll aw’d letten th’ fire goa aght.  Aw do hooap ‘at ther’ll nut a wick soul come an’ bother me agean to-day, for aw’ve niver had time to tak’ th’ cowks up yet, an’ aw’ve all th’ stockins ta mend’ at should ha’ been done last wick, an’ aw know Dick hasn’t a button left on his halliday shirt, it’s time somdy stirred thersen.  Aw dooant know ha’ fowk manage ‘ats allus gaddin’ abaght, aw declare if aw ammut’ allus slavin’ at it, aw connot keep things nowt-bit-like straight.  Drabbit it! (’at aw should say sich a word) ther’s Betty comin’ agean!  Aw’d rayther be stranspoorted to Botny Bay nor be as aw am.  Ther’s hardly a minnit but what ther’s somdy o’ th’ doorstun!”

Betty coom in smilin’ all over her face.  “Nah!” shoo says, “aw’ve managed, an’ aw’ve come ta see if tha’ll goa wi’ us, for Susy’s baan up th’ street to buy a staylace, an’ aw thowt aw’d just goa an’ get th’ stink blown off, for aw’ve cawered i’ this yard woll aw’m feear’d awst grow maald.  Put thi bonnet on, an’ goa wi’ us, we’st be back i’ gooid time.”

“Aw could like to goa, but aw’ve soa mich to do woll aw hardly dar, for woll aw wor talkin’ to thee an’ Susy this fornooin, th’ fire went aght, an’ when Dick an’ th’ childer coom hooam ther wornt a bit o’ dinner for ’em.”

“Well, awm capt, ‘at tha’ll bother wi’ cookin’ ’em dinners.  Aw allus let awrs tak’ ther jock wi’ em, it saves a deal o’ trouble, an’ aw say a woman’s wark enuff, shoo haddles owt shoo gets, an’ if we dunnot luk aght for ussen noabody else will for us.  But please thisen, if tha doesn’t tha darn’t.”

“Oh! as to that, aw dar goa, but aw’ve nowt to goa for, an’ lots o’ wark at hooam.  Aw think aw’d rayther nut.”

“Well, tha’ll get noa better on for cawering ith’ haase like a moldwarp.  But aw mun goa, for Susy’s waitin’.”  Away went Betty, an’ Zantippa ommost rued ’at shoo hadn’t goan too:  but it wor nobbut for a minit, for shoo teed her apron string a bit tighter, tuck’d up her sleeves, pooled in a long breath, an’ as shoo said, “began ta make a sidashun.”

Nah, if iver yo’ want a chap to study a bit, an’ resolve to mend his ways, let him be quiet; but if iver yo’ want a woman to start o’ thinkin’ an’ resolvin’, let her have summat to do.  If a woman sits quiet shoo begins to mump.  Aw niver hardly met a woman ’at could sit daan quietly for five minits withaat sighin’ two or three times; they think an’ think, an’ sigh, an’ shake ther heeads, an’ if they’re let alooan they manage to wark thersen inta a bad temper abaght summat, but what that is, aw’ve never met one ’at could tell.  Zantippa didn’t sit daan an’ mump, but up stairs shoo went an’ made th’ beds, an’ a rare shakin’ they gat, for shoo wor just ful o’ summat an’ shoo mud vent her feelins someway.