o Leeds by train every day?"

"Aye, I like to know who sups t' milk," she answered, "an' so does t'
cows."

"But you can't know that," I said. "You don't take it round to the
houses."

"Nay, I don't tak it round to t' houses, but I reckon out aforehand
who's to get it."

It was evident that Lizzie had some private arrangement for the disposal
of her milk, and I encouraged her to let me share her secret.

"I've milked for all maks o' fowks sin' father deed," she went on,
"bettermy fowks and poor widdies. Once I milked for t' King."

"Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle?"

Lizzie knew nothing about pleasantry, and was not put out by my
frivolous question.

"'Twern't nowther o' them places," she continued; "'twere Leeds Town
Hall. Mother read it out o' t' paper that he was comin' to Leeds to go
round t' munition works, and would have his dinner wi' t' Lord Mayor. So
I said to misel: 'I'll milk for t' King.' He's turned teetotal, has t'
King, sin t' war started, and I telled t' cows all about it t' neet
afore. 'Ye mun do your best, cushies, to-morn', I said. 'T' King'll be
wantin' a sup o' milk to his ham and eggs, and I reckon 'twill do him
more gooid nor his pint o' beer, choose how. An' just you think on that
gentle-fowks has tickle bellies. Don't thou go hallockin' about i' t'
tonnup-field, Eliza, and get t' taste o' t' tonnups into thy cud same as
thou did last week.' Eh! they was set up about it, was t' cows; I'd
niver seen 'em so chuffy. So next day, just to put 'em back i' their
places, I made em gie their milk to t' owd fowks i' t' Union."

"Who else have you milked for?" I asked, after a pause, during which she
had moved her stool from Eliza to roan Anne.

"Nay, I can't reckon 'em all up," she replied. "Soomtimes it's weddin's
an' soomtimes it's buryin's; then there's lile barns that's just bin
weaned, and badly fowks i' bed."

"And will you sometimes milk for a lady I know that lives in Leeds?"

Lizzie was silent for a moment, and then asked: "Is shoo a taicher, an'
has shoo gotten fantickles and red hair?"

"No," I replied, and I thought with some amusement of the freckled face
and aureoled head of the village schoolmistress, who had got across with
Lizzie on account of her inability to do sums and speak "gradely
English." "She's an old lady, with white hair; she's my mother."

"Aye, I'll milk for thy mother," Lizzie answered; "but I'm thrang wi'
sodgers this week an' next."

"Soldiers in camp