CHAPTER XXIV—THE TRICYCLE MAKES A DISCOVERY
H ‘I’m a better man than you are,” said Mr. Grace.
“In wot respeck?” asked Mr. Somp.
“In h’every respeck,” said Mr. Grace. “Nice wye yer’ve got o’ h’arsking fer me darter’s ‘and.”
Mr. Somp rubbed his nose, finished off his beer and winked at the barmaid. Then he turned with a smile of tolerant patronage to his future father-in-law. ‘Any’ow, Cockie, h’I didn’t need to h’arsk yer. Yer must allaws remember that you come in on the second h’act.”
“Wot d’yer mean?”
“H’I mean the curtain was h’up and the play’d began when you h’entered.”
“H’information ter me—I’m larnin’.” Mr. Grace tossed off his pot to show his supreme contempt and signed for another. Having wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, he spoke reflectively. “So I h’entered when the bloomin’ curtain was h’up! Now I h’allaws thought as I wuz be’ind the scenes and ‘elped ter mike ‘er.”