VEN i' Payris day seems to braik moor softly o' th' Sabbath nor ony other day i' th' wick, an' th' burds tune ther throats to a mellower nooat, an' th' sun seems to kiss old mother Eearth moor lovingly, an' th' trees wave ther branches wi' a slower, statelier nod, as they whisper to each other an' to ivverything araand, "It s Sunday." It may nobbut be a fancy, but it's one o' them fancies aw favor, an' i' th' time o' bits o' upsets an' bother, (an' aw get mi' share same as th' rest o' fowk,) aw fall back o' that inner chaymer whear aw've stoored up pleasant memories an fond con-caits an' find a comfort i' livin for a while amang mi fancies an' mi follies. When aw gat daan to mi braikfast Billy wor waitin', an' aw could see'at Sundy made a difference even to him. His shirt neck lukt stiffer, an' he'd put a extra dooas o' tutty on his top-pin', an' he'd treated hissen to a shave for th furst time sin he'd left hooam, an' when he bid me gooid clothes early in the morning an' brush them and bring them back, he's the valet de chambre.
"Aw want nawther hills nor vallies i' my chaymer an' if awd been i' mi own haase awst ha gien him his mornin's fisick aglri ov a blunderbus, an' he'd nivver come for a second dooas. But aw should feel varry mich obleeged to yo if yo'd order theas fowk aght o' this hoil, th' wimmen espescially, an' then if ther's owt wrang, as sooin as awm weshed an' donned awst be ready to answer for it."
"Oh, that's no matter," he sed, "the women here think nothing about it."
"Happen net,—but that's noa reason aw should'nt." Soa th' maister turned raand an' tell'd em all ha ther'd been a mistak an' after laffin a bit, they pitied us an' coom to stroke us daan as if we'd been a couple o' cannibals at had swollered a missionary in a mistak', an' wor to be sympathised wi, becoss we knew noa better. An' if Billy had been a cannibal he could'nt ha been moor savage nor he wor when one old woman wi a face like a dried caah blether, went an' shoved her maath under his nooas an' gave him sich a dooas o' onions'at that an' a bit o' liver wod ha done for his braik-fast.
Th' maister made us understand at it ud be better to give em a trifle just to save ony bother, soa Billy gate his britches an' pooled aght a handful o' silver an' held it for him to help hissen, but he nobbut tuk aght one france an' gave it to one o' th' police'at awd fancied wor a sodger, an' he held it up for em all to see, an' they went aght smilin an' makkin bows an' droppin curtsey's as if we wor kings.—Thinks aw, a little brass gooas a long way here, for if yod to give a shillin to two chaps at hooam, one on em ud be sewer to turn raand an ax if yo intended that for em booath.
We made a hearty braikfast after all wor squared up an' then we began to plan ha to spend th' day, just then th' pooastman coom in an' after starin at me for a minit, he gave me a letter—When aw saw th' envelop aw did'nt wonder at him lukkin a bit hard at me, for it wor throo Mally an' shoo's a way ov her own wi mooast things, an' as shoo knew at Sammywell Grimes' wor English, an' varry likely could'nt be understood bi forriners, shoo'd cut mi pictur off th' back o' one o' th' "Seets i' Lundun," an' pasted it on, an' had written undernaith
"Public Haase,
Payris."
