The following incidents will give some idea of what I mean.
One day, while walking through the fields towards St. Issey, I passed a cottage, by the door of which a woman of about forty years of age was sitting.
"Look 'ere, maaster," she said. "I want to ax 'ee a question."
"Well," I asked. "What?"
"Well, 'tis like this," she said. "Me an' my 'usband 'ave come to words."
"I am sorry for that," I said. "But that is not so bad as coming to blows."
"Oh, we do'ant come to blows, maaster, and 'ard words break no boans; but that is ev et; we 'ave come to words about this, and we 'ave 'ad several arguments about et, and I d'old to one thing, and my 'usband to another; and I thought you bein' from London would be able to put us right."
"If I can I will, but I have my doubts."
"'Tis this," replied the woman. "'Tis about Lord Kitchener. My 'usband d'say that Lord Kitchener is for the Germans, and I d'say 'e ed'n. I d'say 'e's for the English. Now which is right, maaster?"
Later in the afternoon I met Martha Bray, who, it may be remembered, proffered her services to Simpson on the day of my arrival.