He had already heard enough
of Mrs. Tregenza's troubles to last some time, and turned with pleasure to
Joan as she entered. So hearty indeed was the greeting and a kiss which
accompanied it that his niece felt the displeasure which her uncle had
recorded by post upon the occasion of her engagement to Mary Chirgwin's
former sweetheart existed no more.
"My ivers! a braave, bowerly maid you'm grawin', sure 'nough! Joan'll be a
wummon 'fore us can look round, mother."
"Iss--an' a fine an' lazy wummon tu. I wish you could make her work like
what Mary does up Drift."
"Well, I dunnaw. You see there's all sorts of girls, same as plants an'
'osses an' cetera. Some's for work, some's for shaw. You 'specks a flower
to be purty, but you doan't blame a 'tater plant 'cause 'e ed'n particular
butivul. Same wi' 'osses, an' wi' gals. Joan's like that chinee plate 'pon
the bracket, wi' the pickshers o' Saltash Burdge 'pon en, an' gold writin'
under; an' Mary's like that pie-dish, what you put in the ubben a while
back. Wan's for shaw, t'other's for use--eh?"
"Gwan! you'm jokin', Uncle Thomas!" said Joan.
"An' a poor joke tu, so 'tis. You'd turn any gal's 'ead wi' your stuff,
Chirgwin. Wheer's the gude of a fuzz-pole o' yeller hair an' a pair o' blue
eyes stuck 'pon top of a idle, good-for-nothin' body? Maidens caan't live
by looks in these paarts, an' they'll find theerselves in trouble mighty
quick if they tries to.
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