Part 17 (1/2)

”Yes, we got her away, but she was purty near dead e got her there The ain alive'”

There were repetitions and variations of this; but I, reiterating th,” and that in fine the old ould yet live to coot to observe exactly what Bettesworth said His distress was too afflicting

It would take long, too, to tell of hiswith the early walk to Moorways for the relieving officer's order, and telling how old chu off to ere astonished to see him thus unwontedly on the road, and what they said as he passed theour, and how one was ”puffed, tryin' to keep up” The long waiting at the office door (the officer had been out in his garden getting up potatoes), and Bettesworth's meditations, ”I wish he'd coo on--they were all narrated siit could not be reproduced with its words The old ht o'clock, on his way to the town to order the fly which should take his wife to the infirave him tea and bread and butter; but he left the bread and butter--couldn't s it, he said He had had a glass of beer at the Moorways Inn

He went into the town, and I nized hientleman?” Yes, the fly should be there to the minute

At noon, to thea son of an old neighbour of Bettesworth's Meanwhile, Bettesworth's niece, ”Liz,”

and a neighbour's wife--a Mrs Eggar--who to dress the old wos on, but no boots; a petticoat or so, but no bodice with sleeves; and for thaton Bettesworth to come upstairs and help them Then the fly came, ”and all she kep' sayin' was, 'Leave ht and would not be et her downstairs the help of twoone of them By a kindly policy, Bettesworth himself was sent to hold the horse (”'cause he wanted to start off”), in order that the sight of her husband ht not increase the poor old woman's reluctance; and so they carried her downstairs, ”bodily,” he said, , I suppose, that she did not support herself at all

The doctor had advised, and the neighbours too, that Bettesworth himself should not acco unwell, was afraid to be alone hat looked a dying woman, and at the last moment Bettesworth jumped into the cab As it started, the old woman's head fell back, her et brandy for her, which, however, she could not, or would not, take Gin was tried, and she just touched it Liz took the brandy; Bettesworth and the driver shared a pint of beer; then they drove off again Once, on the way, Liz said, ”Uncle, she's gone! Hadn't ye better stop the fly?” But he put his head down against her cheek, and found that she was still living; and so they came to the outer entrance of the infir: it was not well that his wife should be agitated by the sight of hily he cae, and may rest if he can He is to have meals at his niece's, but will sleep at ho to hienerally ”Kate said she'd ha' went down in the fly, if I'd ha' let her know in ti to her Monday or Tuesday, she'd wash it I says to her, 'You be the first friend I got, Kate' Well, Liz had told et somebody to do her own, and the doctor come to see her one day expectin' to find her in bed, and she was gettin' the dinner There's Jack” (her husband) ”and four boys So Kate's goin' to do the washi+n' for ive the place a scrub out More'n that she _can't_ do--with eight little 'uns, and then look at the washi+n'!”

For Mrs Eggar takes in washi+ng, to eke out her husband's fifteen or sixteen shi+llings a week

Besides these friends, there are those who are willing to find the old al” ”'Tis a sort o' coot;” but he hopes not to break up his home yet In an unconscious syht this afternoon a pennyworth ofto e, and then ran upstairs ”to see if the old gal was there”

He will keep his hohbours ”But as for these up here,” and he points contemptuously in the direction of the old woone, and I shan't trouble to tell 'e Four clear days pass, without any note about Bettesworth; then on the following Thursday the narrative is reopened It is given here, unaltered]

_September 29_--Bettesworth's wife died at the workhouse infirht of the 27th

She had been unconscious since her ad my little box upstairs off the dresser, Fred;”

the other tis were reported to him by the nurse, when he reached the infirmary on Tuesday afternoon--the usual afternoon for the adone down then, with his niece Liz, to see the old lady And of course I heard the details of the expedition when he carocer's in the town, he bought two ripe pears, at three halfpence each ”Did ye ever hear tell o' such a price for a pear? What 'd that be for a bushel? Why, 't'd coht her soe-cakes at the confectioner's;” and with these delicacies he went to her

She could not touch them She lay with her eyes open, but unconscious even of the flies, which he, sitting beside, kept fanning fronition of hi to leave the pears and sponge-cakes there for her, on the chance of her being able to enjoy them later ”Poor old lady, she'll never want 'eht 'em here I shan't take 'em back Give 'eave hi as he liked; but, said he, ”I bid there an hour an' a quarter, an' then I couldn't bide no longer

What was the use, sir? She didn't know me” So at last he cao in at any hour o' the day or night hehe was about his work here when a letter was brought to him It contained only a forerously ill, and desired to see hined to prepare hiht have told, but of course he did not know it, even if that was the case He left here at once, to go and see his wife

Between two and three hours afterwards he was back again ”How is it?”