calendar. But as this might
be considered ungenteel, I'll think of it.
'John? You've got the Basket with the Veal and Ham-Pie and things,
and the bottles of Beer?' said Dot. 'If you haven't, you must turn
round again, this very minute.'
'You're a nice little article,' returned the Carrier, 'to be
talking about turning round, after keeping me a full quarter of an
hour behind my time.'
'I am sorry for it, John,' said Dot in a great bustle, 'but I
really could not think of going to Bertha's—I would not do it,
John, on any account—without the Veal and Ham-Pie and things, and
the bottles of Beer. Way!'
This monosyllable was addressed to the horse, who didn't mind it at
all.
'Oh DO way, John!' said Mrs. Peerybingle. 'Please!'
'It'll be time enough to do that,' returned John, 'when I begin to
leave things behind me. The basket's here, safe enough.'
'What a hard-hearted monster you must be, John, not to have said
so, at once, and save me such a turn! I declared I wouldn't go to
Bertha's without the Veal and Ham-Pie and things, and the bottles
of Beer, for any money. Regularly once a fortnight ever since we
have been married, John, have we made our little Pic-Nic there. If
anything was to go wrong with it, I should almost think we were
never to be lucky again.'
'It was a kind thought in the first instance,' said the Carrier:
'and I honour you for it, little woman.'
'My dear John,' replied Dot, turning very red, 'don't talk about
honouring ME. Good Gracious!'
'By the bye—' observed the Carrier. 'That old gentleman—'
Again so visibly, and instantly embarrassed!
'He's an odd fish,' said the Carrier, looking straight along the
road before them. 'I can't make him out. I don't believe there's
any harm in him.'
'None at all. I'm—I'm sure there's none at all.'
'Yes,' said the Carrier, with his eyes attracted to her face by the
great earnestness of her manner. 'I am glad you feel so certain of
it, because it's a confirmation to me. It's curious that he should
have taken it into his head to ask leave to go on lodging with us;
an't it? Things come about so strangely.'
'So very strangely,' she rejoined in a low voice, scarcely audible.
'However, he's a good-natured old gentleman,' said John, 'and pays
as a gentleman, and I think his word is to be relied upon, like a
gentleman's. I had quite a long talk with him this morning: he
can hear me better already, he says, as he gets more used to my
voice. He told me a great deal about himself, and I told him a
great deal about myself, and a rare lot of questions he asked me.
I gave him information about my having two beats, you know, in my
business; one day to the right from our house and back again;
another day to the left from our house and back again (for he's a
stranger and don't know the names of places about here); and he
seemed quite pleased. "Why, then I shall be returning home to-
night your way," he says, "when I thought you'd be coming in an
exactly opposite direction. That's capital! I may trouble you for
another lift perhaps, but I'll engage not to fall so sound asleep
again." He WAS sound asleep, sure-ly!—Dot! what are you thinking
of?'
'Thinking of, John? I—I was listening to you.'
'O! That's all right!' said the honest Carrier. 'I was afraid,
from the look of your face, that I had gone rambling on so long, as
to set you thinking about something else. I was very near it, I'll
be bound.'
Dot making no reply, they jogged on, for some little time, in
silence. But, it was not easy to remain silent very long in John
Peerybingle's cart, for everybody on the road had something to say.
Though it might only be 'How are you!' and indeed it was very often
nothing else, still, to give that back again in the right spirit of
cordiality, required, not merely a nod and a smile, but as
wholesome an action of the lungs withal, as a long-winded
Parliamentary speech. Sometimes, passengers on foot, or horseback,
plodded on a little way beside the cart, for the express purpose
be considered ungenteel, I'll think of it.
'John? You've got the Basket with the Veal and Ham-Pie and things,
and the bottles of Beer?' said Dot. 'If you haven't, you must turn
round again, this very minute.'
'You're a nice little article,' returned the Carrier, 'to be
talking about turning round, after keeping me a full quarter of an
hour behind my time.'
'I am sorry for it, John,' said Dot in a great bustle, 'but I
really could not think of going to Bertha's—I would not do it,
John, on any account—without the Veal and Ham-Pie and things, and
the bottles of Beer. Way!'
This monosyllable was addressed to the horse, who didn't mind it at
all.
'Oh DO way, John!' said Mrs. Peerybingle. 'Please!'
'It'll be time enough to do that,' returned John, 'when I begin to
leave things behind me. The basket's here, safe enough.'
'What a hard-hearted monster you must be, John, not to have said
so, at once, and save me such a turn! I declared I wouldn't go to
Bertha's without the Veal and Ham-Pie and things, and the bottles
of Beer, for any money. Regularly once a fortnight ever since we
have been married, John, have we made our little Pic-Nic there. If
anything was to go wrong with it, I should almost think we were
never to be lucky again.'
'It was a kind thought in the first instance,' said the Carrier:
'and I honour you for it, little woman.'
'My dear John,' replied Dot, turning very red, 'don't talk about
honouring ME. Good Gracious!'
'By the bye—' observed the Carrier. 'That old gentleman—'
Again so visibly, and instantly embarrassed!
'He's an odd fish,' said the Carrier, looking straight along the
road before them. 'I can't make him out. I don't believe there's
any harm in him.'
'None at all. I'm—I'm sure there's none at all.'
'Yes,' said the Carrier, with his eyes attracted to her face by the
great earnestness of her manner. 'I am glad you feel so certain of
it, because it's a confirmation to me. It's curious that he should
have taken it into his head to ask leave to go on lodging with us;
an't it? Things come about so strangely.'
'So very strangely,' she rejoined in a low voice, scarcely audible.
'However, he's a good-natured old gentleman,' said John, 'and pays
as a gentleman, and I think his word is to be relied upon, like a
gentleman's. I had quite a long talk with him this morning: he
can hear me better already, he says, as he gets more used to my
voice. He told me a great deal about himself, and I told him a
great deal about myself, and a rare lot of questions he asked me.
I gave him information about my having two beats, you know, in my
business; one day to the right from our house and back again;
another day to the left from our house and back again (for he's a
stranger and don't know the names of places about here); and he
seemed quite pleased. "Why, then I shall be returning home to-
night your way," he says, "when I thought you'd be coming in an
exactly opposite direction. That's capital! I may trouble you for
another lift perhaps, but I'll engage not to fall so sound asleep
again." He WAS sound asleep, sure-ly!—Dot! what are you thinking
of?'
'Thinking of, John? I—I was listening to you.'
'O! That's all right!' said the honest Carrier. 'I was afraid,
from the look of your face, that I had gone rambling on so long, as
to set you thinking about something else. I was very near it, I'll
be bound.'
Dot making no reply, they jogged on, for some little time, in
silence. But, it was not easy to remain silent very long in John
Peerybingle's cart, for everybody on the road had something to say.
Though it might only be 'How are you!' and indeed it was very often
nothing else, still, to give that back again in the right spirit of
cordiality, required, not merely a nod and a smile, but as
wholesome an action of the lungs withal, as a long-winded
Parliamentary speech. Sometimes, passengers on foot, or horseback,
plodded on a little way beside the cart, for the express purpose
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