“’What ‘ud ye tell en?’ says he; ’he’d mayhap not quite fancy the notion o’ takin’ up wi’ a woman he did never set eyes on.’  ’You just leave it to I,’ says I; ‘I bain’t a-goin’ to say nothin’ at all about wedlock.  I’ll jist ax en to come to tea next Sunday, and I’ll tell en as a very nice body what we’ve lately got acquainted wi’ be a’ a-comin’ to tea, too; an’ I’ll jist set down, careless-like, as she have got a bank-book what is worth seein’.  Jist no more nor that.’

“’Ah, that ‘ud maybe do very well,’ says Domeny, and we did put our heads together, and between us the letter was wrote.  Brother John sent us word by the carrier as he was a-comin’, and I did send off Janie that same day to let Mrs. Maidment know, and Janie said her face did fair flush up wi’ j’y.  She kissed the maid so affectionate, an’ says she, ’You be another Domeny, my dear.  You must favour your Pa, I’m sure, for you be a very vitty maid.’

“Well, Sunday did come, an’ I did have a beautiful tea ready; muffins and a bit o’ cold ham—­not so salt as poor Sarah’s—­and a pot o’ blackberry-an’-apple jam.  Brother John were the first to come.  He fair give me a start, for I didn’t expect en so early; he did put his head in at the door, an’ beckon this way, so secret-like.” (Here there was the usual accompaniment of appropriate gesture.)

“‘Mary,’ he whispered, ‘Mary, be she come?’

“‘Not yet, John,’ says I.

“He did squeeze hisself very cautious round the door, lookin’ to right an’ left, this way” (further pantomime). “‘Mary,’ says he, right in my ear, ’have ‘ee seen the bank-book?’

“‘Nay, John,’ says I; ’nay; ’twasn’t to be expected, but I did hear, John,’ says I, ‘as it were worth lookin’ at.’

“He did sit him down then, an’ did begin to whistle to hisself, an’ to rub his knees up and down.  He had his best clothes on, an’ the big tall hat as he’d a-bought for the first poor Mrs. John’s funeral.  He took it off after a while, and did keep turnin’ it round and round in his hands.  ‘Where’s Robert?’ says he, all to once.

“‘Cleaning up a bit i’ the bedroom,’ says I.

“‘I think I’ll go to en,’ says he.

“‘Not you,’ says I, determined-like.  ’Sit you there, that’s a good man.  She’ll be here in a minute.’

“But Robert come down first, an’ we was gettin’ a bit anxious when Mrs. Maidment did tap at the door.  She was lookin’ real well an’ genteel, in a black silk dress, and wi’ one o’ them little black bags as they did use to call ridicules in her hand.  Poor Brother John could scarce take his eyes off it, for he made sure, d’ye see, as she’d a-brought the bank-book inside.  Well, the tea did pass off so pleasant as could be, and so soon as it was over I did make a sign to Robert.

“’I’ve summat to show ‘ee’ says I, an’ so soon as I did get en outside, I did sauce en for bein’ so stupid.

“‘How be they ever to get things settled wi’ us two a-lookin’ at ’em?’ says I.