“At last I couldn’t thole it no longer.  Ash-riddling or no ash-riddling, I said, I’m boun’ to bed, and upstairs I went.  Well, I lay i’ bed happen three-quarters of an hour, and sure enough, the ticement began to wark i’ my head stronger and stronger.  At lang length I crept downstairs agean i’ my stocking feet into the kitchen.  All was whisht as the grave, and the fire was by now nearly out, so that there were no flame-deevils to freeten me.  So I took the riddle that I’d gotten ready afore and began to riddle the ash all ower the hearthstone.  The stone were hot, but I were cowd as an ice-shackle, and I felt the goose-flesh creeping all ower my body.  When I’d riddled all the ash I made it snod wi’ the peat-rake, and then, more dead nor wick, I crept back into bed and waited while Mike and Amos came home.

“They got back about eleven, and then I thought, they’ll happen see what I’ve done.  But they didn’t, for they’d putten out the lantern in the stable, and I’d brought the can’le up wi’ me into the cham’er.  I heerd ‘em stumbling about i’ the kitchen, and then they came up to bed, and Mike began talking to me about the lambs i’ the croft, and I knew he’d niver set een on the ash-riddling.  He soon fell asleep, and after a while I dozed off too, and dreamt I were murdering Owd Jerry i’ the staggarth.  As soon as cockleet came, I wakkened up and crept downstairs, quiet-like, so as not to-wakken Mike or the childer.  And there on the hearthstone were the ashes, and reet i’ the middle on ’em the prent of a man’s clog.

“It were Jerry’s clog as plain as life.  When I saw it I went all of a didder, and thought I sud ha’ fainted’ for all that I’d dreamt about murdering Owd Jerry came back into my mind.  But I drave a pin into my arm to rouse misen, and took the besom and swept up the ashes and lit the fire.  After I’d mashed misen a cup o’ tea I felt better, and got agate wi’ the housewark.  But, by the mass! it was a dree day for me, was yon.  Ivery time I heerd the owd man hoast I thought he were boun’ to dee.  But he was better that day nor he’d been for a long while, and he kept mending all the time.  I couldn’t forget, howiver, what I’d done, and the thought of how I’d yielded to the devil’s ticement made me more patient and gentle wi’ Jerry nor iver I’d been afore.

“Spring set in and the birds came back frae beyont the sea, swallows and yallow wagtails and sandpipers; the meadows were breet wi’ paigles, and the childer gethered bluebells and lilies o’ the valley i’ the woods for Whissuntide, and iverything went on same as afore.  We had a good lambing time, and a good hay harvest at efter.  I kept Jerry under my eye all the while, and nowt went wrang wi’ him.  He’d get about the farm wi’ the dogs, a bit waffy on his legs, mebbe, but his appetite kept good, and he’d ommost lossen his hoast.  He fratched and threaped same as usual if owt went wrang wi’ his meals, or if the childer made ower mich racket i’ the house, but it took