These silent tributes flattered her vanity without putting her to the trouble of paining their’s. She had, however, one suitor who was really unfortunate.
This was no other than Mr. Nettlethorpe, a new neighbour of Jamblin’s, but a man whom he despised; he was one of the most cheeseparing, meanest men in the whole county.
At one time he had been a money-lender, but of later years he had chosen to try his hand at farming, about which he knew next door to nothing.
Although Jamblin had a great antipathy to him, he could not, as a neighbour, be positively rude to him.
“I hate the man,” said Jamblin, “but one can’t shut the door in his face. Pipple say he’s been dangling after you, but of course you think nothing of such a varmint—a fellow with a set of cows not worth opening and shutting a gate after. Why, you might hang yer hat on thur hipbones. He a farmer! A pretty notion he has of farming. He let his plough stand to kill a mouse, and instead of dunging twelve cartloads to the acre, as everybody else does, he doesn’t dung twelve barrowfuls. And his horses, too! He thinks it’s a saving to starve ’em till they’ve got as weak as chickens, and can’t do any work. Why, you can see ’em reel as they go up the road.”
“He has a very nice house,” said Patty.
“Nice, indeed. It’s Mock Beggar Hall, foine outside, but nat’rally barren within. There aint much more than carp pie for his wife in the larder, I’ll be bound, for he beant the sort to keep more cats in his house than’ll kill mice.”
“He’s got a very nice sister.”
Farmer Jamblin burst out into a loud laugh.
“Has he?” he cried; “well that’s a matter of ’pinion, Patty. She be as wretched and ignorant a little nat’ral as ye’d find in a day’s tramping. Did I ever tell ’ee? I was riding by the house one day, and she came out with her back hair flying loose, and crying ready to split herself. Dear, dear, thought I, brother been took with a fit of remorse and killed hisself. ‘Oh, Mr. Jamblin,’ cried she, ‘what shall I do? My poor duck is so ill—she’s got fast on the nest and I can’t move her off.’ Oh, oh, that was a larfable ditty.”