“Now tell me what they said about the doctor,” she said coaxingly.
“Why, they gets saying things to try and get me took away. My old woman don’t like me stopping.”
“She’s a dreadful old creature,” said Elizabeth angrily, “and I won’t have her here.”
“So’s your old woman a dreadful old creature,” retorted Bob, “and I won’t have her here.”
“My mother’s been dead ten years,” said Elizabeth, battling with an obstinate bit of mud, “and I won’t have you speak to me in that impudent way.”
“Then you leave my poor old woman alone.”
“You let her stop away instead of always coming down them area-steps, and you encouraging her.”
“That I don’t, so come now. She’s my old woman and I’m very fond on her, but I wish she wouldn’t come. She allus comes when I’m busy.”
“And she ought to be very glad you are here.”
“But she ain’t. She says doctors are bad ’uns. And that they do all sorts o’ things as they oughtn’t to. She was in the orspittle once, and she said it was horrid, and if she hadn’t made haste and got well they’d have ’sected her.”