, an as th' door wor oppen aw'd a gooid luk
at David an his raam befoor he saw me. It wor a varry little place, wi a
varry little winder, an hardly heigh enuff for a chap to stand up in,
and all th' walls wor covered wi picturs, an he wor set cloise to th'
winder hard at wark at another. He wor a short, fat
gooid-tempered-lukkin chap, wi a bald heead an just a bit o' white hair
hingin' daan like a fringe all raand, an his cheeks wor as red as a ripe
apple, an his hands, brooad an braan, show'd they'd had to face booath
wark an weather. As Dolly went in he lukt up an saw me.

"Come in," he sed, "come in do, it's varry whut, sit yo daan. Whativer
browt ye up here to-day? Why, yo'll be ommost melted. Can yo sup some
buttermilk?" An he filled a glass 'at stood o' th' table, an handed it
to me. Aw swollered it, an then aw sed, "Aw thowt as aw'd a bit o' spare
time awd just come up an mak yor acquaintance, for awve heeard a gooid
deeal abaat yo, an happen yo'll nooan think onny war o' me for comin' bi
misel'."

"Tha's done reight to come, lad; aw'm allus glad to see anybody pop in.
Aw wor just thrang makkin marks, as awr Dolly calls it, but, as awd
nivver onybody to taich me, awm feeared aw havn't getten th' reight way
o' gooin abaat it yet. Yo see all theeas picturs? Well, yo'll not think
mich on 'em, but sich as they are, they please me, an they niver ait
owt."

"An what are ta shappin at nah?" sed Dolly.

"This is to be th' erupshun o' Maant Vesuvius."

"Why, what is it eruptin' for?" sed Dolly. "Aw guess it's like thee,
it's nowt better to do? Is that th' reason tha's put so mich brimston'
colour abaat it? Ther's nowt better nor brimston' an traitle for curin'
erupshuns."

"Dolly, aw've tell'd thee for aboon twenty year 'at tha's noa taste
nobbut for summut to ait, an yond lad tak's after thee. Aw'd allus a
fancy for my lad to be an artist," he sed, turnin' to me, "but he seems
to care moor abaat hawkin' bits o' garden stuff; but then we am't all
born alike, an aw made up mi mind nivver to try to foorce him to owt 'at
he'd noa hankerin' after, for if aw'd had two trades to pick aght on, an
one on 'em had been cobblin, awst ha takken t'other whativver it had
been; but aw could ha liked mi lad to ha been summut better, for aw gave
him a gooid name when he wor kursened; but yo cannot order theeas things
as yo wod."

"Noa; an it's a gooid job yo cannot, for aw've quite enuff to put up wi
to have thee messin' abaat as