‘Well, Hannah Maria,’ he sed, ’but suppoas aw wor a deacon do yo think aw should suit?’

‘That aw connot tell,’ shoo sed, ’but if tha iver gets to be a deacon tha can ax me then.’

Soa Tommy bade her gooid neet; an’ nah he wor detarmined to be a deacon come what wod.

Next Sunday he joined th’ Sunday Schooil as a taicher, tho’ he knew noa moor abaat taichin nor th’ powl ‘at hung o’ th’ aghtside ov his shop door.  Then he tuk a sittin in a pew reight anent th’ parson, tho’ he had to pay well for it, an’ when they made a collection, which wor pratty oft, an’ th’ chaps used to goa raand wi’ th’ box allus when they wor singin th’ last hymn, he used to be soa takken up wi’ th’ singin wol th’ chap had to nudge him two or three times; then he’d throw daan his book an’ fidget in his pocket as if he’d forgetten all abaat it, an’ bring aght sixpenoth ov hawpneys, an’ put ’em in wi’ sich a rattle wol ivery body’d knew ’at he’d gien summat.

He wor allus th’ furst in his seeat an’ one o’th’ last to leeav, an’ ivery Sunday he managed to have summat to say awther to th’ parson or one o’th’ deacon’s, wol befoor he’d been thear a month he’d getten to be quite a nooated chap.

Wheniver one o’th’ congregation called in to get shaved, they allus faand him readin th’ Evangelical Magazine, or else repooarts o’th’ Liberation Society, an’ it worn’t long befoor sombdy tell’d him in a saycret ’at he wor baan to be propoased for a deacon.  He tried to luk as if he cared nowt abaat it, but as sooin as the chap went aght, he flang his lather brush under th’ table, threw his razor an’ white appron into a corner, upset his lather box on to th’ Evangelical, an’ ran up stairs two steps at a time, an’ seized a bottle off th’ shelf, an’ sayin, ‘Here’s to th’ deacon!’ swallowed hauf a pint o’ neat, an’ what else he might ha done aw dooant know if he hadn’t ommost brokken his neck wi’ tryin to turn a summerset.

This browt him to his senses a bit, an’ then he sat daan to reckon up ha mich a wick he’d have comin in when he’d getten wed to th’ widder.

Nah aw hardly like to say it, but it’s true, Tommy wor rayther fond ov a drop o’ summat strong, but he niver let monny fowk see him tak it after he’d joined th’ chapel.  But he had just one confidential friend, an’ he allus tell’d him iverything, an’ ov coarse he’d let him know all abaat th’ widder, an’ being made a deacon; soa he sent for him, an’ they’d a fine time on it that neet, for they shut up th’ shop an’ gate as full as they could carry, an’ just as they wor gooin to pairt, a letter coom to tell Tommy ‘at he’d to be voted for as a deacon after th’ Thursday’s meetin; an’ as that day wor Tuesday they hadn’t long to wait, soa they detarmined to have another glass or two on th’ heead on it, an’ they kept it up soa long wol at last they both fell asleep.

When they wakkened it wor broad dayleet, an’ they felt rayther seedy; soa they agreed to separate, an’ Tommy made his friend promise to be sure to call on him to tak him to th’ meetin.