"If tha'd to wark for thy brass same as aw've to do for mine tha'd nooan be soa varry fond o' payin' it for cabs."
Aw wor a bit put aght an' aw knew he wor, soa we nawther on us sed another word but kept marchin' on an' aw wor i' hooaps o' meetin' a poleeceman to see if he could tell us whear we wor, but th' poleece are th' same all th' world ovver, for they're nivver thear when they're wanted. Aw felt sewer we should meet with a cab or summat, but th' streets seemed as if ivverybody'd gooan to bed all at once. It'll be a long time befoor aw forget that walk, aw lukt all raand an' up an' daan but aw couldn't see a thing awd ivver seen befoor except th' mooin an that couldn't help me ony; th' clock struck twelve—Billy gave a sigh but sed nowt—all at once aw heeard th' clink ov a metal heel on th' causey an aw stopt. It wor a gaily dressed young woman hurryin' off somewhear. Aw stopt anent her an' shoo stopt, an' aw tried to mak her understand what we wanted but shoo could mak nowt on it, an' as sooin as shoo saw it wor noa use tryin' to coax us to goa her way unless we'd been sewer her way wor awrs shoo sailed away an' left us. It wor a fit o' desperation'at caused me to seize hold o' Billy's arm an' march daan a narrow street, but it wor a stroke o' gooid luck as it happened, for at th' bottom o' th' street wor th' river. Aw lukt to see which way th' watter wor runnin' an' then cheered up wi' hooaps we set off agean. We didn't need to mak ony enquiries nah, soa we met plenty o' poleece, but noa cabs, but it wor a long walk befoor we coom to owt we knew, but at last we did, an' th' clock struck one. We'd abaat two miles to walk then, for it wor evident we'd been altogether astray—but aw mun gie Billy credit for patience that time for he nivver grummeled a bit, although he limped a gooid deeal. We gat hooam at last an' as we expected all wor shut up an' i' darkness. Nah we'd nawther on us ivver been awther in or aght o' th' back door but we went to seek it an' as ther wor nobbut one ther worn't mich fear on us makkin a mistak, an' we could see th' leet'at wor inside shinin' throo th' winder shutters. Aw put th' kay i'th' hoil an' th' door wor oppened in a sniff an' a welcome seet it wor at met us. A bit o' fire wor burnin' i'th' range, an' at that time o' th' mornin' a bit o' fire's alluswelcome, an' aw turned th' leet up, an' thear on th' table wor a grand set aght for two. Ther wor fish an' a joint o' cold beef, a big dish o' sallit an' some nice butter an' breead, an' two bottles o' Bass' ale an' a bottle o' claret; an' th' raam wor a deeal nicer fitted up nor th' big shop we'd alius been used to havin' us meals in. "This is a change for th' better," aw sed, "aw wish we'd known abaat this be-foor."
"It's all ov a piece is thy wark,—tha allusfinds ivverything aght when it's too lat! Here we've been all this time, as uncomfortable as ivver we could be caarin i' that big raam, when we mud ha been enjoyin' ussen in here if tha'd nobbut ha oppened thi maath! but aw can just do justice to it to neet, soa let's start."
He drew all th' three bottles an' he supt th' ale aght o' one befoor he touched owt to ait, but it didn't interfere wi' his appetite, an' aw can't say'at aw could find ony fault wi' mi own. Th' fish sooin disappeared, an' th' beef grew smaller hi degrees, an' we didn't leeav a drop o' ale nor claret, an' when we'd finished Billy propoased a smook befoor we went to bed, but when he pooled his watch aght to see what time it wor, he saw it wor standin', an' as aw hadn't one aw gate up to oppen th' door'at led into th' big raam whear we'd been used to sit, for aw knew ther wor a clock thear; but by-gow! aw lawpt aght o' that shop sharper nor aw went in. "Billy!" aw says, "Bi th' heart, lad! we'st be put i'th' hoil for this! We've getten into th' wrang haase!"
"Then awm one'at's baan to get aght," he sed, an' seizin' his booits off th' harthstun he aght o' th' door like a shot—he didn't limp then, awl awarrant yo! Aw sammed up my booits an' seizin' th' kay aw after him in a twinklin' When we gat into th' street ther worn't a soul stirrin' Aw lukt up at th' winders to mak sewer we wor anent us own lodgins an' then aw went to th' end o' th' buildin', an' aw saw a door'at we'd missed befoor. "Here we are, Billy!" aw shaated in a whisper. Aw oppened th' door an' we went in pratly, an' we sooin saw'at we wor ith' reight shop this time. A supper wor thear but we wanted nooan on it, we lockt th' door an' turned aght th leet an' crept up stairs o' tippy-tooa, an' befoor yo could ha caanted ten we wor booath i' bed. Yo may be sewer we wor booath wide enough awake, an' when in abaat fifteen minits we heeard two wimmin skrikin an' some men shaatin', an' fowk runnin' up an' daan th' Street, an' somdy brayin' at th' door at th' place we lodged at, we'd a varry gooid noation o' what wor up, an' as we didn't think'at we should ha gained ony moor information nor what we knew already, we thowt'at it wor awr best plan to stop whear we wor, an' if we couldn't sleep we could snoor, an' we at it i' hard eearnest, an' when th' maister coom an' knockt gently at furst one door an' then t'other an' heeard th' music'at we wor makkin' aw think he thowt th' same as we did, an' couldn't find in his heart to disturb us. Ha th' fowk went on at wor aghtside we could nobbut guess, but th' sun wor shinin' breetly befoor all wor quietened daan; then we did fall asleep an' it wor nine o'clock when Billy coom to my door to wakken me. He shoved his heead in an' says, "Sammy! Sammywell!"
"What's up?".
"Has ta heeard owt abaat thieves braikin' into th' haase next door?"
"Thieves? what thieves? Aw've nobbut just wak-kened! aw know nowt abaat it!"
"No moor do aw," he sed. "Awm baan daan to mi braikfast an' tha can coom as sooin as tha'rt ready."
Th' events o th' neet befoor flashed across mi mind in a minit—aw saw his meanin', an' when aw'd getten donned aw went daan to join him prepared to act gawmless abaat all it wouldn't be wise to know.