|
||||||||
the laugh had company; then if he got another grin, all his mirth came out in glory, with a sudden break; and he wiped his lips, and was grave again. Now John, being too much encouraged by the girls (of which I could never break them), came into the house that December evening, with every inch of him full of a tale. Annie saw it, and Lizzie, of course; and even I, in the gloom of great evils, perceived that John was a loaded gun; but I did not care to explode him. Now nothing primed him so hotly as this: if you wanted to hear all John Fry had heard, the surest of all sure ways to it was, to pretend not to care for a word of it. I wor over to Exeford in the morning, John began from the chimney-corner, looking straight at Annie; for to zee a little calve, Jan, as us cuddnt get thee to lave houze about. Meesus have got a quare vancy vor un, from wutt her have heerd of the brade. Now zit quite, wull e Miss Luzzie, or a wunt goo on no vurder. Vaine little tayl Ill tull ee, if so be thee zits quite. Wull, as I coom down the hill, I zeed a saight of volks astapping of the ro-udwai. Arl on em wi girt goons, or two men out of dree wi em. Rackon there wor dree score on em, tak smarl and beg togather laike; latt aloun the women and chillers; zum on em wi matches blowing, tothers wi flint-lacks. Wutt be up now? I says to Bill Blacksmith, as had knowledge of me: be the King acoomin? If her be, do ee want to shutt un? Thee not knaw! says Bill Blacksmith, just the zame as I be a tullin of it: whai, man, us expex Tam Faggus, and zum on us manes to shutt un. Shutt un wiout a warrant! says I: sure ee knaws better nor thic, Bill! A man maynt shutt to another man, wiout have a warrant, Bill. Warship zed so, last taime I zeed un, and nothing to the contrairy. Haw, haw! Never frout about that, saith Bill, zame as I be tullin you; us has warrants and warships enow, dree or vour on em. And more nor a dizzen warranties; frout I know to contrairy. Shutt un, us manes; and shutt un, us will Whai, Miss Annie, good Lord, whuttiver maks ee stear so? Nothing at all, John, our Annie answered; only the horrible ferocity of that miserable blacksmith. That be nayther here nor there, John continued, with some wrath at his own interruption: Blacksmith knawed whutt the Squire had been; and veared to lose his own custom, if Squire tuk to shooin again. Shutt any man I would myzell as intervared wi my trade laike. Lucky for thee, said Bill Blacksmith, as thee beest so shart and fat, Jan. Dree on us wor a gooin to shutt ee, till us zeed how fat thee waz, Jan. Lor now, Bill! I answered un, wi a girt cold swat upon me: shutt me, Bill; and my own waife niver drame of it! Here John Fry looked round the kitchen; for he had never said anything of the kind, I doubt; but now made it part of his discourse, from thinking that Mistress Fry was come, as she generally did, to fetch him. Wull done then, Jan Vry, said the woman, who had entered quietly, but was only our old Molly. Wutt handsome manners thee hast gat, Jan, to spake so well of thy waife laike; after arl the laife she leads thee! Putt thee pot on the fire, old ooman, and bile thee own bakkon, John answered her, very sharply: nobody no raight to meddle wi a mans bad ooman but himzell. Wull, here was all these here men awaitin, zum wi harses, zum wiout; the common volk wi long girt guns, and tha quarlity wi girt broad-swords. Who wor there? Whay latt me zee. There wor Squire Maunder, here John assumed his full historical key, him wi the pot to his vittle-place; and Sir Richard Blewitt shaking over the zaddle, and Squaire Sandford of Lee, him wi the long nose and one eye, and Sir Gronus Batchildor over to Ninehead Court, and ever so many more on em, tulling up how they was arl gooin to be promoted, for kitching of Tom Faggus. |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
Copyright: All texts on Bibliomania are © Bibliomania.com Ltd, and may not be reproduced in any form without our written permission. See our FAQ for more details. | ||||||||