“Hallo!  Are yo havin’ a teah-drinkin’.  What’s to do, Jenny?”

“Nay, yo mun ax yor Nanny.”

“What’s up, Nanny lass?”

“Can’t ta see what’s up?  Tha must be blind aw think or else druffen!  Aw could see what wor to do as sooin as aw dapt mi een on ’em!  Awr Alick an’ Harriet Ann’s gooan an getten wed, that’s what’s to do!”

“Why, an’ a gradely pair they mak!  Aw nivver thowt tha wor hawf sich a judge ov a lass as tha’s proved thisen.  Aw allus sed aw thowt Harriet Ann wor th’ bonniest lass i’ Yorksher.  Awm soa suited wol awd ommost forgetten awd th’ backwark.  Is there a drop o’ gin i’ that bottle, Nanny?”

“Tha gets a deal more gin than does thee onny gooid, an aw think that backwark is oft an excuse.”

“Dooant lets have onny grumlin’ o’th’ weddin’ day, for Alick’s suited me to nowt, an awm sewer shoo’s th’ lass awve heeard thee say tha could like him to have.”

“Awve nowt agean th’ match ’at aw know on, nobbut they should ha been content to wait a year or two.  They’re both on ’em sadly to young.”

“Why, thee an’ me started when we wor monny a year younger nor them.  Awr Alick wor born before tha wor as old as Harriet Ann.  Awve wondered monny a time if Alick wor iver baan to start.’

“Has ta noa moor sense nor to talk like that afoor bits o’ childer.  If shoo’s as mich bother wi’ him as awve had wi’ thee, shoo’l wish shoo’d nivver set een on him.”

“But whear do yo meean to live?  Yo’ll want a haase somewhear.”

“We’ve takken yond little cottage ‘at yo can see o’th’ hill-side yonder, an’ we’ve getten a bit o’ furniture into it for a start.”

“Why, that’s the varry haase aw allus sed aw should like to live in if ivver awd to flit,” sed Jenny.

“Well, yo can come as sooin as yo like an’ keep for Harriet Ann company, an’ if yo’ll nobbut behave yorsen awl buy yo a teah-pot like that o’ mi mother’s, an’ yo can have it oth hob end throo morn to neet.”

“That’s reight enuff Alick, but aw should ha been better satisfied if—­

“That’s what aw say Jenny, aw should ha been better satisfied if—­

“Caar ye daan, an’ let th’ young ens alooan, for for like all old wimmen, for hard to pleeas.”

Ratcatchin’.

Ther’s roguery i’ ivvery trade but awrs, awve’ heeard fowk say, an “ivverybody’s honest till they’re fun aght.”  That white hen at’ nivver lays away hasn’t been hatched yet.  It taks all sooarts to mak a world an aw suppooas if they wornt ratcatchers ther’d be summat short.  Sam Sniffle wor a karacter in his way, he seemed to have a bit ov a smatterin’ o’ iverything, but what he professed to know th’ mooast abaat wor dogs an rats.  Noa daat he had a bit o’ knowledge, but what wor far more sarviceable to him nor owt else wor a simple luk ’at he could put on, an’ a bit ov a lisp ’at he had, made him seem soa harmless an simple ’at yo wodn’t believe it possible for him to do owt wrang.  He worn’t varry big, but he wor varry wiry, an as full o’ pluck as a gamcock.