“Good marning Delia” ses Mrs. Bang (the widdy acrost the strate) “Is anny wan at home?”
“Oh yes mam” ses I, litting her in throo the fly dure. “Mr. John” ses I “is after shaving his face mam” ses I “Will ye wait till hes throo?”
“Why anny of the family will do” ses she, flushing.
“Ye’ll find Mr. Wolley” ses I “in the stable. Hes oondernathe the ortermobile as yushul. Mrs. Wolley is after taking her noonday syester, as Mr. James calls it and Miss Claire is in her room. Mr. James has gone to town. Mr. Billy is hilping his daddy.”
“I’ll see Miss Wolley” ses she hortily.
I wint oop to tell Miss Claire. She looked a bit poot out.
“Wheres John?” she arsked at wanse.
“Shaving miss” ses I.
She wint down stares, and she and the widder kissed. I wint abboot me wark doosting the dyning rume, and wiping oop the parkay flure wid a greesy cloth, manewhile linding an eer to the illygunt convysashun of the widdy. She do be fond of the sownd of her own voyce, and she threated the puir yung crachure to sooch an indless strame of sinsliss gossip as iver I had the misforthune to lissen to befure. Puir Miss Claire sat wid her chin on her hand, pretinding to lissen but heering not a word of the widdy’s discurse. After a bit the widdy seemed to tak notiss of her silinse.
“You seem a bit distray this marning deer” ses she.
Miss Claire set up.
“Oh no no” ses she, “I—I’m all rite Mrs. Bangs.”
The widder leened back and fanned hersilf carelissly.
“So Harry Dudley has gone” ses she, wotching Miss Claire. “It was very suddint I belave.”
Miss Claire was all awake now, white and red in turn, but she sed nuthing.
“And Una Robbins is gone too” ses the widder. Suddintly she closed up her fan sharply. “Do you no” ses she “I want to say sumthing to you orful badly but I feel I haven’t the rite to—not being a mimber of your family.”
Joost then Mr. John cum down, looking very spry and neet wid his new shaven face and hare frish brushed.
“Hello” ses he, and shuk the widder’s hands. “Are you going Claire?” ses he, for she was going tord the stares.
“If Mrs. Bangs will excuse me” ses she, “I’ll finish the litter I was writing. I’ll be back shortly.”
Whin she was gone, Mr. John pulled up a chare and sat forward looking at the widder who opened her fan agin and was looking at the pichure on it.
“Mr. Wolley” ses she suddintly, “I’m afrade I’ve offinded your sister. Oh deer” ses she, “I do want to interfeer in the affares of this foolish and impracticul family. I’m shure” ses she, “If I only had the opporchunity I cud make both Claire and your brother Jimmy see the errow of their ways. Take Jimmy for instunse. He’s like a prickly porkypine lately, riddy to scrach wun if wun dares to aven look at him. Look at the state of his lons. Why the grarss is a mile hy and the weeds have all cum up in the carrage drives. Why I cud tell him in a minit how to rid the drives of weeds. Salt—salt’s the thing! Jest spred it on the drives. It’ll kill the weeds at wunse. But ah deer me” ses she sighing hevily, “I’ve not the rite to advise Jimmy or cunsole Claire.”
“And why have you not?” ses Mr. John camly, tho I seen him move his fingers about in the nerviss way he has.
“Why have I not the rite?” repeets the widder, opening her eyes innersintly. “Becos I’m not wan of the family” ses she.
Mr. John got up, tuk a cupple of nerviss walks acros the room, and thin soodintly wint back to the widder. He set himsilf doon on the arm of her chare leaned over her. She did’nt boodge an inch, tho I seen her get red oonder the look he guv her.
“Jane” ses he, “be wan of the family.”
“Good grashis!” ses she, leaning back so her neck nachully fitted in the coorve of his arm, “are you proposing to me, Mr. Wolley?” ses she.
“Yes Jane” ses he, “I’m orfully in love wid you.”
Wid that she tilted back her hed, guv him a long look, then delibritly orferred him her lips.
“Hilp yersilf John” ses she, “I’m yours.”
She’s larfing while she speaks, but she’s crying a bit jest like ivery other woman whin he’s doon wid her.
Mr. John who is a fare sized gintleman slipped down from the arm of the chare to the seet beside her. The widder is pretty ploomp hersilf and they squeezed up closely thegither, leaning aginst aich other and spooning like yung fokes, he being thirty if he’s a day and she a widder.
“Now that I’ve got the rite to interfeer” ses she after a moment, “I’m going to do it wid a vinginse. Hold on a bit” ses she, pooshing him aff from her, “Now lissin to sense, John Wolley. Go upstares and tell Claire I want to spake to her.”
“Spake to her to-morrow” ses he.
“No” ses she, shaking her hed desidedly, “John” ses she, “you an I have a whole life yet to spind thegither. I can spare you for a little wile. I came to-day upon a partikuler errant. I had sumthing to say to Claire, but first it was necissery for me to have the rite to say it. The proposul and—ah—acciptunse was a meer dyagrisshun, and wile I confiss to a shameliss weekniss for your shtyle of wooing darlint, yit I’m not to be swurved from the objick of me misshun. There! Go and get Claire, and whin I’m throo wid her cum back” ses she.
Finally, wid more airging, she injooced the puir lover t............