Part 21 (2/2)

JUDITH (_starting up_): Bell! What has happened, woman? Are you hurt?

Oh, but your brow is bleeding!

BELL: I'd an inkling There must be blood somewhere: I seemed to smell it.

JUDITH: But what has happened, Bell? Don't say 'twas Jim!

BELL: Nay ... nay ... it wasn't Jim ... I stumbled, Judith: And, seemingly, I cracked my cruntle a bit-- It's Jill fell down, and cracked her crown, this journey.

I smelt the blood ... but, it's not there, the pain ...

It's in my side ... I must have dunched my side Against a stone in falling ... I could fancy A rib or so's gone smash.

JUDITH (_putting an arm about her and helping her to rise_): Come and lie down, And I'll see what ...

BELL: Nay: but I'll not lie down: I'm not that bad ... and, anyhow, I swore I'd not lie down again at Krindlesyke.

If I lay down, the walls would close on me, And scrunch the life out ... But I'm havering-- Craitching and craking like a doitered crone.

Lightheaded from the tumble ... mother-wit's Jirbled and jumbled ... I came such a flam.

I'm not that bad ... I say, I'll not lie down ...

Just let me rest a moment by the hearth, Until ...

(_JUDITH leads her to a chair, fetches a basin of water and some linen, and bathes the wound on BELL's brow._)

JUDITH: I wish ...

BELL: I'm better here. I'll soon Be fit again ... Bell isn't done for, yet: She's a tough customer--she's always been A banging, bobberous bletherskite, has Bell-- No fushenless, brashy, mim-mouthed mealy-face, Fratished and perished in the howl-o'-winter.

No wind has ever blown too etherish, Too snell to fire her blood: she's always relished A gorly, gousty, bl.u.s.terous day that sets Her body alow and birselling like a whinfire.

But what a windyhas.h.!.+ My wit's wool-gathering; And I'm waffling like a ... But I'd best be stepping, Before he comes: I've far to travel to-night: And I'm not so young ... And Michael mustn't find His tinker-mother, squatted by the hearth, Nursing a b.l.o.o.d.y head. But, mind you, Judith: I stumbled; and I hurt my side in falling: Whatever they may say, you stick to that: Swear that I told you that upon my oath-- So help me G.o.d, and all--my bible-oath.

I'm better ... already ... I fancy ... and I'll go Before ... What was I saying? Well, old hob, I little ettled I'd look on you again.

The times I've polished you, the elbow-grease I've wasted on you: but I never made You s.h.i.+ne like that ... You're winking red eyes at me: And well you may, to see ... I little guessed You'd see me sitting ... I've watched many fires Since last I sat beside this hearth--good fires: Coal, c.o.ke, and peat, but wood-fires in the main.

There's naught like izles for dancing flames and singing: Birch kindles best, and has the liveliest flames: But elm just smoulders--it's the coffin-wood ...

Coffins? Who muttered coffins? Let's not talk Of coffins, Judith ... Shut in a black box!

They couldn't keep old Ezra in: the lid Flew off; and old granddaddy sat up, girning ...

They had to screw him down ... And Solomon Slept with his fathers ... I wonder he could sleep, After the razzle-dazzle ... Concubines!

'Twould take a pyramid to keep him down!

And me ... That tumble's cracked the bell ... not stopt The crazy clapper, seemingly ... But, coffins-- Let's talk no more of coffins: what have I To do with coffins? Let us talk of fires: I've always loved a fire: I'd set the world Alow for my delight, if it would burn.

It's such a soggy, sodden world to-day, I'm duberous I could kindle it with an izle: It might just smoulder with muckle funeral-plumes Of smoke, like coffin-elder ... And the blaze-- The biggest flare-up ever I set eyes on, It was a kind of funeral, you might say-- A fiery, flaming, roaring funeral, A funeral such as I ... but no such luck For me in this world--likely, in the next!

And anyway, it wouldn't be much fun, If I couldn't watch it, myself ... Ay, Long Nick Salkeld, And his old woman, Zillah, died together, The selfsame day, within an hour or so.

'Twas on Spadeadam Waste we'd camped that time ...

And kenning how they loved their caravan, And how they'd hate to leave it, or be parted From one another, even by a foot of earth, We laid them out, together, side by side, In the van, as they'd slept in it, night after night, For hard on fifty-year. We took naught out, And s.h.i.+fted naught: just burnished up the bra.s.ses, Till they twinkled as Zillah'd kept them, while she could ...

And so, with not a coffin-board betwixt them, At dead of night we fired the caravan ...

The flames leapt up; and roaring to the stars, As we stood round ... The flames leapt up, and roaring ...

I hear them roaring now ... the flames ... I hear ...

Flames roaring in my head ... I hear ... I hear ...

And flying izles ... falling sparks ... I hear Flames roaring ... roaring ... roaring ...

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