Part 3 (2/2)
One of the steep and narrow lanes arden, where Bettesworth's work lay It is picturesque enough, beneath its deep banks and hedgerows and overhung by arden trees; but that is of no moment here Within Bettesworth's ht down to ”the Lake,” and so over into the meadow opposite; but the last hundred yards of it, fro been washed out into adown precipitously to the streae from the sand cliffs, and the valley is before you Then the footpath winds along to the left (eastwards), having the cliff on one hand and the stream on the other, to a wider stretch, until with this for its best approach you come to a little hovel of three roo with its back walls close in against the sandy cliff
At the period we are dealing with, this cottage had a poverty-stricken appearance, upon which Bettesworth hih the place was in reality no worse than others beyond it and elsewhere in the parish But it had suffered frolect under the previous tenant, a thriftless Irishman, while, after the Irish quite derelict Then, however, the landlord had a few repairs done, and at the end of September, to my amazement, I heard frohteen-pence a week by the change: the new rent was only two shi+llings
Ought I to have expostulated? Perhaps I should have done so, but for the queer expression in the olded defiance ”You think what you like,” so I interpreted it--”that's the place I' to” He was are
”Skinner” (the bricklayer) ”says he don't see why it shouldn't make a very nice little place for two He done up the roof there t'other week, and he ought to know” Later, the old man repeated Skinner's opinion, and added, ”I think _I_ can make it comfortable Ye see, there en't bin nobody to try before”
This was true enough The Irishe The place could not be worse used, and it ht conceivably be fairly habitable inthe first week in October Bettesworth effected his re upon the streas, so as to avoid scra up and down the devious pathways and tracks that led to the cottage, but, unfortunately, the strealed along it, and one was, in fact, bespoken--Jack Crawte's, to wit; but at the appointed ti to inquire for it, he discovered that the Craere all gone into the town to the fair
Next day they promised to come ”by-and-by” Bettesworth accepted the promise, but he also chartered two donkey-carts, which were really e into one lane, and then round and about, up and down, to the head of the gully by Mrs Skinner's Farther than that even donkey-carts were useless For the last and worst hundred yards nothing but a wheelbarrow or a strong back could be of any use
Fortunately (in these circuoods were not h for hie The main of them were shi+fted on the Thursday, and I should not like to say how e with loaded wheelbarrow and up with it es, and complimented him
”Why, Freddy,” she said--”why, Freddy, you'd kill half the young uns _now_, old as you be”
There should have been a helper--one Moses Cook, familiarly known as ”Little Moser”; but little Moser was not a success On the Wednesday, pro until he had found tiet drunk and then arrived with the proposal that Bettesworth should give him a pint to start with ”_Git_ out o' my way!” was Bettesworth's reply The next day the little it up there by ol' Dame Skinner's with a empty barrer!
I says to 'n, 'Git in an' let me wheel ye up!' I says Made me that wild! Why, I'd lifted a chest into the barrer all by hed a hundred and a quarter, hat there was in 'n, ye know--and wheeled 'n down And then to see this little feller 'You be in o 'oit so done!' I _ild I told 'n, 'They says Gawd e--you must be a bloomin'
counterfeit!'”
At one time there was a threat of rain, and Bettesworth ”whacked all the beddin' he could on to the barrer, and down and in with it”
Fortunately, the rain held off
Towards night the cart caht a load or two of firewood--not along the streah the flooded meadow The as tipped out on to the raised bank across the stream, just opposite Bettesworth's new hoht But the old ot all that across,” he said, ”and into the dry Crawte couldn't hardly believe it when I told 'n this mornin' But I _did_ Fetched it across in the dark” It was an alht was of the blackest, and the streaot in, I had to put up the bedstead, with only the ol' gal to help , it only see else Talk about _tired_! I never had nothin'
all that time--not even half a pint o' beer Ye see, there wa'n't nobody I could send, an' I couldn't spare tilass o' beer But I never had nothin' not afore I'd done Then I had some tea, but I was too tired to eat P'r'aps, if I'd ha' been able to have half a pint earlier, I ht ha' bin able to eat; but, as 'twas, I couldn't eat And now this ully, ye know”
As it is not mentioned elsewhere, I may as well say here that Bettesworth's endeavours to make this little place habitable and respectable were for a time fairly successful As it should have been explained, after eully the public footpath runs close in front of the doorway of the place, leaving soarden between itself and the strealees, while the footpath was unswept, disgusting, and often blocked with a pail of ashes or other household refuse But now a spirit of order had appeared on the scene The cabbage-plot becae flowers--pinks and nasturtiums--appeared in two tiny borders under the s on either side of the door, and the h but sufficient arbour of larch-posts before it, up which ”canary-creeper” found its way
Accordingly, I heard frolected to set down, how this and that wayfarer had praised the old man's improvements Did not the Vicar hi ratification) that he would never have believed the place could be made to look so well? Of the inside, perhaps, not so much could be said; but even this was passable at first, before the old wife's breakdown spoilt all For several years, in fact, Bettesworth was, I believe, very happy in this cottage At any rate, it gave him scope for labour, and he always liked that He had hardly been in possession a week before he was talking of an improvement much to his mind
”There's a rare lot o' capital soil in the lake under they withies just againstit out to enrich his garden
”It'll be good for the lake, too,” I suggested
”Yes,” he replied, ”it wants clearin' out Why, in some places there en't no lake, and half the water that coot to overflow andsettled in this hovel, his story begins at last to e in the man himself will be discernible We shall be aware only of the quiet lapse of time as the seasons steal over hiress of public events is dimly reflected in occasional scraps of his conversation And even of public events not reatly concerned Bettesworth, were less likely than ever to attract his attention now
For five days in the week he rarely got farther froenerates into the gully between e On Saturday afternoons he journeyed into the town to get a shave and do his shopping; on Sunday evenings he generally went to the public-house; and as this was all he saw of the world, it is no matter for surprise if his interests remained extremely parochial