“Giminy! I never did know as chaney could look like this, it seems to add a fresh pleasure to life—why, it a’most beats the flowers.”
“I won’t deny that it ain’t a werry neat pattern,” said Aunt Hannah, “the twist of convolvuly is werry cunnin’, but chaney like that is meant to lock up in a cupboard; there ain’t no one as ’ud use it daily.”
“Look here,” said Silas, “there’s a power of cups and saucers ain’t there, Aunt Hannah?”
“My word, yes,” said Aunt Hannah, “a whole, dozen, and plates to match, and four fruit dishes, and a couple of cake plates, and a slop-bowl and a teapot, and a cream jug and sugar basin—it’s the most complete thing I iver seed.”
“Well, then, look yere,” said Silas, “s’pose as we has a tea-drinkin’ out o’ it.”
“Silas!” Aunt Hannah dropped her lower jaw and her small eyes grew beady bright in their glance.
“S’pose,” continued Silas, “we had a tea-drinkin’ out of it, and we asked Jill down, and one or two o’ the neighbours to meet her, and you come and spend the night here, Aunt Hannah, and you ondertake the tea-drinkin’—s’pose now you do that, eh?”
“Well,” said Aunt Hannah, “it seems like encouraging of you, Silas, in your mad folly.”
“Not a bit on it,” said Lynn, “for whether you come or whether you go, Jill and me we’ll be married at the church in the village come next Thursday. You can please yerself, Aunt Hannah, but I thought as we might have our tea-drinkin’ on Tuesday, and you’d see with your own eyes, and the neighbours ’ud see, what sort of a little gel were coming home to me to cheer up my life.”
“Well,” said Aunt Hannah, “I don’t go fer to deny that there’s something in your idee, Silas. I own as I’d like to say a word to that gel on the subject of chaney like this. Ef I found her teachable and humble in her notions, I don’t promise, mind, but I might give her three cracked delf cups of my own—white they was once, but they has turned yeller—she could use ’em for common and keep this chaney for best, for christenings, and sech-like, and the delf cups ’ud be a very suitable present from your aunt to her, Silas.”