“Yes, Mr Ellis, sir, that’s what I tell him,” said old Hannah anxiously.
“Tchah!” growled old Tummus, giving his body a jerk. “Very well then, sir, he thowt he were, and it got on his mind like that he were all in the darkness, and it’s my belief as he couldn’t bear it, and went and made a hole in the water so as to be out of his misery.”
“Oh, Tummus, you shouldn’t!”
“No, no; he was not the man to do such a thing,” said Ellis, whose voice sounded husky, and who looked limp and not himself.
“I dunno,” growled Tummus; “they say when a man’s in love and can’t get matters settled, he’s ready to do owt. I never weer in love, so I doan’t know for sure.”
“Oh, Tummus!” cried old Hannah reproachfully.
“Will ta howd thee tongue?” cried the old man.
“No, I won’t, Tummus. Not even with Mr Ellis here, if you stand there telling such wicked stories.”
“Arn’t a story,” cried the old man, with the twinkle of a grim smile at the corners of his lips. “Who’d ever go and fall in love with an ugly owd woman like thou?”
“It couldn’t be that; no, no, it couldn’t be that,” said the bailiff hastily.