“It says it’s a most ‘thrilling a’count,’ sir, and an ‘awful tragedy’; and it vonders vhat young vomen is a coming to, next. I am pretty much of the same vay of thinking, sir, myself.”
“You are in the habit of thinking very much as the newspapers do, are you not, Stephen?” asked Dunscomb.
“Vell, ’Squire Dunscomb, you’ve hit it! There is an onaccountable resemblance, like, in our thoughts. I hardly ever set down to read a paper, that, afore I’ve got half vay through it, I find it thinking just as I do! It puzzles me to know how them that writes for these papers finds out a body’s thoughts so vell!”
“They have a way of doing it; but it is too long a story to go over now. So this paper has something to say about our young woman, has it, Stephen? and it mentions the Biberry business?”
“A good deal, ’Squire; and vhat I calls good sense, too Vhy, gentlemen, vhat shall we all come to, if young gals of fifteen can knock us in the head, matched, like, or in pairs, killing a whole team at one blow, and then set fire to the stables, and burn us up to our anatomies?”
“Fifteen! Does your account say that Miss Monson is only fifteen, Hoof?”
“‘She appears to be of the tender age of fifteen, and is of extr’ornary personal attractions.’ Them’s the werry vords, sir; but perhaps you’d like to read it yourselves, gentlemen?”
As Stephen made this remark, he very civilly offered the journal to Dunscomb, who took it; but was not disposed to drop the conversation just then to read it, though his eye did glance at the article, as he continued the subject. This was a habit with him; his clerks often saying, he could carry the chains of arguments of two subjects in his mind at the same moment. His present object, was to ascertain from this man what might be the popular feeling in regard to his client, at the place they had just left, and the scene of the events themselves.
“What is thought and said, at Biberry, among those with whom you talked, Stephen, concerning this matter?”
“That it’s a most awful ewent, ’Squire! One of the werry vorst that has happened in these werry vicked times, sir. I heard one gentleman go over all the murders that has taken place about York during these last ten years, and a perdigious sight on ’em there vas; so many, that I began to vonder I vasn’t one of the wictims myself; but he counted ’em off on his fingers, and made this out to be one of the werry vorst of ’em all, sir. He did, indeed, sir.”