Greatorex stood there a moment looking at them before he tapped on the door.

He felt no tenderness for either of them, only a sullen pity that was half resentment.

As if she had heard his footsteps and known them, Essy spoke without looking round.

“Yo’ can coom in ef yo’ want,” she said.

“Thank yo’,” he said stiffly and came in.

“I caan’t get oop wi’ t’ baaby.  But there’s a chair soomwhere.”

He found it and sat down.

“Are yo’ woondering why I’ve coom, Essy?”

“Naw, Jim.  I wasn’t woondering about yo’ at all.”

Her voice was sweet and placable.  She followed the direction of his eyes.

“’E’s better.  Ef thot’s what yo’ve coom for.”

“It isn’ what I’ve coom for.  I’ve soomthing to saay to yo’, Essy.”

“There’s nat mooch good yo’re saayin’ anything, Jim.  I knaw all yo’ ‘ave t’ saay.”

“Yo’ll ‘ave t’ ‘ear it, Essy, whether yo’ knaw it or not.  They’re tallin’ mae I ought to marry yo’.”

Essy’s eyes flashed.

“Who’s tallin’ yo’?”

“T’ Vicar, for woon.”

“T’ Vicar!  ‘E’s a nice woon t’ taalk o’ marryin’, whan ’is awn wife caan’t live wi’ ’im, nor ’is awn daughter, neither.  And ’oo alse talled yo’?  ‘Twasn’ Moother?”

“Naw.  It wasn’ yore moother.”

“An’ ‘twasn’ mae, Jim, and navver will bae.”

“’Twas Dr. Rawcliffe.”

“’E?  ’E’s anoother.  ’Ooo’s ‘e married?  Miss Gwanda?  Nat’ e!”

“Yo’ let t’ doctor bae, Essy.  ‘E’s right enoof.  Saw I ought t’ marry yo’.  But I’m nat goain’ to.”

“‘Ave yo’ coom t’ tall mae thot?  ‘S ef I didn’ knaw it.  ’Ave I avver aassked yo’ t’ marry mae?”

“Haw, Essy.”

“Yo’ can aassk mae; yo’ll bae saafe enoof.  Fer I wawn’t ‘ave yo’.  Woonce I med ‘a’ been maad enoof.  I med ‘a’ said yes t’ yo’.  But I’d saay naw to-day.”

At that he smiled.

“Yo’ wouldn’ ‘ave a good-fer-noothin’ falla like mae, would yo, laass?  Look yo’—­it’s nat that I couldn’ ‘ave married yo’.  I could ’ave married yo’ right enoof.  An’ it’s nat thot I dawn’ think yo’ pretty.  Yo’re pretty enoof fer me.  It’s—­it’s—­I caan’t rightly tall whot it is.”

“Dawn’ tall mae.  I dawn’ want t’ knaw.”

He looked hard at her.

“I might marry yo’ yat,” he said.  “But yo’ knaw you wouldn’ bae happy wi’ mae.  I sud bae crool t’ yo’.  Nat because I wanted t’ bae crool, but because I couldn’ halp mysel.  Theer’d bae soomthin’ alse I sud bae thinkin’ on and wantin’ all t’ while.”

“I knaw.  I knaw.  I wouldn’ lat yo’, Jim.  I wouldn’ lat yo’.”

“I knaw there’s t’ baaby an’ all.  It’s hard on yo’, Essy.  But—­I dawn’ knaw—­I ned bae crool to t’ baaby, too.”

Then she looked up at him, but with more incredulity than reproach.

“Yo’ wudn’,” she said.  “Yo’ cudn’ bae crool t’ lil Jimmy.”