?"

"Aw nobbut know her furst name. They call her Minnie, shoo's a sarvent
at that big haase at th' street corner."

"Minnie, do they call her? aw think Ninny wod be a name to suit her
better. Aw nivver saw her befoor i' mi life, but shoo's noa gooid, aw
saw that as sooin as aw clapt mi een on her. Aw hooap tha'll mind what
tha'rt dooin an have noa truck wi sichlike."

"Why, mother, aw've allus thowt her a varry gooid lass, an awm sewer
shoo's a bonny en."

"That's just whear it is. They allus are bonny are sich like as her. But
next time shoo cooms into th' shop just order her off abaat her
business. An see at tha does as aw tell thi. Shoo can get what shoo
wants at another shop at's nearer their haase. Its nooan yor bacon shoo
wants;--its thee shoo's after, but tha'rt sich a ninnyhammer at tha
can't see it."

"Yo must know, mother, 'at aw can't order her aght o'th shop. Awm sewer
shoo thinks nowt abaat me. Ther's nooan sich luck. Shoo's older nor me
bi ivver soa mich, an shoo could have onny chap i'th street if shoo'd to
put her finger up. Awm sewer aw dooant know what's put sich a nooation
into yor heead. But aw'll have mi supper if its ready."

"Come thi ways;--awm sooary aw've kept thi waitin, but tuk it into thi.
Tha'll get moor gooid aght o' that nor sich as her. Ther owt to be a law
to punish sichlike."

Chairley sed nowt noa moor, but he thowt a lot. To tell trewth, sich
thowts had nivver befoor entered into his heead. An if his mother had
nivver sed owt abaat it, it's possible they nivver wod. It wor Setterdy
neet, an as he wor anxious to be up i' gooid time at Sundy, he sed,
"Gooid neet," an went to bed. For th' furst time in his life he tossed
an roll'd abaat, an couldn't fall asleep. His mother had put that lass
into his heead an he couldn't get her aght. He'd allus thowt her a nice
lass, but he'd nivver known ha bonny shoo wor till then.

"A'a!" he sighed, "awd goa throo foir an watter for sich a lass as her."

An th' upshot on it wor, at when at last he did fall asleep, it wor to
dream at he'd wed an angel just like her, an he wakkened to find th'
bolster cuddled up in his arms. Sundy passed someway, but nawther
schooil nor sarmon did him onny gooid. Unconsciously he'd set up an idol
an wor worshippin it wi all th' strength ov his young heart.

As he went to his wark next mornin, he happened to catch th' seet ov
hissen as he passed a shop winder, an for th' furst time he felt ha
little he wor.