I got up at four o clock, she said. Eh! it was pretty on th moor
with th birds gettin up an th rabbits scamperin about an th sun
risin . I didn t walk all th way. A man gave me a ride in his cart an
I did enjoy myself.
She was full of stories of the delights of her day out. Her mother had
been glad to see her and they had got the baking and washing all out of
the way. She had even made each of the children a doughcake with a bit
of brown sugar in it.
I had em all pipin hot when they came in from playin on th moor.
An th cottage all smelt o nice, clean hot bakin an there was a
good fire, an they just shouted for joy. Our Dickon he said our
cottage was good enough for a king to live in.
In the evening they had all sat round the fire, and Martha and her
mother had sewed patches on torn clothes and mended stockings and
Martha had told them about the little girl who had come from India and
who had been waited on all her life by what Martha called blacks
until she didn t know how to put on her own stockings.
Eh! they did like to hear about you, said Martha. They wanted to
know all about th blacks an about th ship you came in. I couldn t
tell em enough.
Mary reflected a little.
I ll tell you a great deal more before your next day out, she said,
so that you will have more to talk about. I dare say they would like
to hear about riding on elephants and camels, and about the officers
going to hunt tigers.
My word! cried delighted Martha. It would set em clean off their
heads. Would tha really do that, Miss? It would be same as a wild
beast show like we heard they had in York once.
India is quite different from Yorkshire, Mary said slowly, as she
thought the matter over. I never thought of that. Did Dickon and your
mother like to hear you talk about me?
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