“I’d a married sister in London, whue cum down to see us at Whissuntide. She see how things fared, and she säa to me, ‘John,’ sez she, ‘dew yeou let Susan go back with me, and I’ll git her a good place and see arter her.’ So ’twas sattled. Susan was all for goin’, and when she went she kiss’t me and all the bors, but she nivver sed nawthin’ to my wife, ’cept just ‘Good-bye.’ She fared to git a nice quite [53] place; but then my sister left London, and Susan’s missus died, and so she had to git a place where she could. So she got a place where they took in lodgers, and Susan and her missus did all the cookin’ and waitin’ between ’em. Susan sed arterwards that ’twarn’t what she had to dew, but the runnin’ up-stairs; that’s what killt her. There was one owd gentleman, who lived at the top of the house. He’d ring his bell, and if she din’t go di-reckly, he’d ring and ring agen, fit to bring the house down. One daa he rung three times, but Susan was set fast, and coon’t go; and when she did, he spŏok so sharp, that it whŏlly upset her, and she dropt down o’ the floor all in a faint. He hollered out at the top o’ the stairs; and sum o’ the fŏoks cum runnin’ up to see what was the
matter. Arter a bit she cum round, and they got her to bed; but she was so bad that they had to send for the doctor. The owd gentleman was so wexed, he sed he’d päa for the doctor as long as he could; but when the doctor sed she was breedin’ a faver, nawthing would satisfy her missus but to send her to the horspital, while she could go.
“So she went into the horspital, and läa five weeks and din’t know nobody. Last she begun to mend, and she sed that the fŏoks there were werry kind. She had a bed to herself in a big room with nigh twenty others. Ivry däa the doctor cum round, and spŏok to ’em all in tarn. He was an owdish gentleman, and sum young uns cum round with him. One mornin’ he säa to Susan, ‘Well, my dear,’ sez he, ‘how do yeou feel to-day?’ She säa, ‘Kind o’ middlin’, sir.’ She towd me that one o’ the young gentlemen sort o’ laffed when he h’ard her, and stopped behind and saa to her, ‘Do yeou cum out o’ Suffolk?’ She säa, ‘Yes; what, do yeou know me?’ She was so pleased! He axed her where she cum from, and when she towd him, he säa, ‘I know the clargyman of the parish.’ He’d a rose in his button-hole, and he took it out and gov it her, and he säa, ‘Yeou’ll like to hev it, for that cum up from Suffolk this mornin’.’ Poor mor, she was so pleased! Well, arter a bit she got better, and the doctor säa, ‘My
dear, yeou must go and git nussed at home. That’ll dew more for yeou than all the doctors’ stuff here.’
“She han’t no money left to päa for her jarney. But the young gentleman made a gatherin’ for her, and when the nuss went with her to the station, he holp her into the cab, and gov her the money. Whue he was she din’t know, and I don’t now, but I alluz säa, ‘God bless him for it.’
“One mornin’ the owd parson—he was yar father—sent for me, and he säa, ‘John,’ sez he, ‘I ha’ had a letter to say that Susan ha’ been in the horspital, but she is better now, and is cummin’ home to-morrow. So yeou must meet her at Halser, [55] and yeou may hiv my cart.’ Susan coon’t write, so we’d nivver h’ard, sin’ her aunt went away. Yeou may s’pose how I felt! Well, I went and met her. O lawk, a lawk! how bad she did look! I got her home about five, and my wife had got a good fire, and ivrything nice for her, but, poor mor! she was whŏlly beat. She coon’t eat nawthin’. Arter a bit, she tuk off her bonnet, and then I see she han’t no hair, ’cept a werry little. That whŏlly beat me, she used to hev such nice hair. Well, we got her to bed, and for a whole week she coon’t howd up at all. Then she fare to git better, and cum down-stairs, and sot by the fire, and begun to pick a little.
And so she went on, when the summer cum, sometimes better and sometimes wuss. But she spook werry little, and din’t seem to git on no better with my wife. Yar father used to cum and see her and read to her. He was werry fond of her, for he had knowed her ivver sin’ she was born. But she got waker and waker, and at last she coon’t howd up no longer, but took whŏlly to her bed. How my wife did wait upon her! She’d try and ’tice her to ate suffen, [56a] when yar father sent her a bit o’ pudden. I once säa to him, ‘What do yeou think o’ the poor mor?’ ‘John,’ sez he, ‘she’s werry bad.’ ‘But,’ sez I, ‘dew she know it?’ ‘Yes,’ sez he, ‘she dew; but she een’t one to säa much.’ But I alluz noticed, she seem werry glad to see yar father.
“One day I’d cum home arly; I’d made one jarney. [56b] So I went up to see Susan. There I see my wife läad outside the bed close to Susan; Susan was kind o’ strokin’ her face, and I h’ard her säa, ‘Kiss me, mother dear; yeou’re a good mother to me.’ They din’t see me, so I crep’ down-stairs, but it made me werry comforble.
“Susan’s bed läa close to the wall, so that she could alluz make us know at night if she wanted anything by
jest knockin’. One night we h’ard her sing a hymn. She used to sing at charch when she was a little gal, but I nivver h’ard her sing so sweetsome as she did then. Arter she’d finished, she knockt sharp, and we went di-reckly. There she läa—I can see her now—as white as the sheets she läa in. ‘Father,’ sez she, ‘am I dyin’?’ I coon’t spake, but my wife sed, ‘Yeou’re a-dyin’, dear.’ ‘Well, then,’ sez she, ‘’tis bewtiful.’ And she lookt hard at me, hard at both of us; and then lookt up smilin’, as if she see Some One.