CHAPTER XV.
Dear little Sally's letter gave me the greatest delight. It was all inround hand, and had taken at least a week to write, and she must havewashed her hands almost every time. There were no stops in it, but Ihave put some. The spelling was wonderfully good for her, but here andthere I have shaped it to the present fashion.
"Please Miss Clara dear, father and mother and I begs their mostrespectable duty and love and they hopes no offence and will you be sokind as to have this here little hamper and wishes it was ten times asmuch but hopes you will excuse it and please to eat it all yourselfMiss. All the pegmate be our own doctrine, and very wholesome, and wehave took all the hair off, please Miss, because you said one time youdidn't like it. Likely you'll remember, Miss, the young black sow astwisted her tail to the left, her as Tim was ringing the day as I wrotefirst copy, and the other chillers ran out, well most of it be she,Miss. Father say as he don't think they ever see butter in London town,but Beany Dawe says yes for they makes a plenty out of red herrings andtrain oil.
Please Miss, Tabby Badcock would go on the ice in the old saw-pit lastSunday, by the upper linhay when I told her it would not bear, and soher fell through and would have been drownded at last, only our littleJack crawled over the postesses and give her his heel to hold on by, andplease Miss it would have done your heart good, mother says, to see howTim Badcock dressed her when he come home from church for getting herbest frock all of a muck.
Please Miss, Beany Dawe come when you was gone, and made a poem aboutyou, and father like it so much he give him free of the cider and as hewas going home he fell into a bit of a ditch down Breakneck hill, andwhen he come to himself the road had taken to run the wrong way Beanydon't know how for the life of him, so he come back here 'nolus wolus'he saith and that be the way to spell it and no mistake, and here hehave been ever since a-making of poems and sawing up hellums out of thelower cleeve, and he sleepth in the onion loft and Suke can't have norest of nights for the noise he makes making verses. Mother tell Suketo pote him down stairs and too good for him, but father say no, he be afine chap for sure and airneth his meat and drink, let alone all thepoetry.
Please Miss he wanted to larn me to write, but father say no I had gotbetter learning than hisn, and I say he may learn Tabby Badcock if hewill, but he shan't learn me. No tino."
How she tossed her pretty curls when she wrote this I'll be bound. Iwished that I could see her.
"Please Miss I be forced to write this when he be away, or he'd a madeit all in poetry; and Tim Badcock tell me to be sure to tell you as howat the wrastling to Barnstaple fair, week after you was gone, father wasso crule unkid that in playing off the ties he heaved a Cornisher upthrough the chandelier, and a come down with a candle stuck so fast downhis throat doctor was forced to set it a-fire and blow with a pair ofbellises afore he could put him to rights. Cornisher be all right againnow, Tim saith, but he have a made up his mind not to wrastle no more inDevonshire.
Please Miss, father saith before this here goes he'll shoot the old hareas sits in the top of the cleeve if Queen Victoria transports him for itwith hard labour. Tim have made four pops at her, but he say the powderwere crooked.
Please Miss Clara, all the eggs as my little black hen have laid, sincethe last of the barley was housed, is to be sewed up inside the Turkeywith the black comb; he be strutting about in the court and looking atme now as peart as a gladdy; but her have not laid more than a dozen tonow, though I have been up and whistled to her in the tall at everymorning and evening same as we used to do when you was in good spirits.But the other hens has not laid none at all.
Please Miss, father say as how he have sold such a many beasties, he beafeared to keep all the money in the house, and he have told mother tosew up the rent for next Ladyday in the turkey with the white comb whenhe be killed and he humbly hope no offence.
Please Miss Clara, us has had three letters from you, and I reads themall to father and mother every Sunday evening, and Joe the Queen's boydon't know but what he lost another one in leathering the jackass acrossthe brook after the rain. Joe tells as he can't say for certain,because why he baint no scholar the same as us be, and Joe only knowsthe letters by the pins they sticks in his sleeve afore he leavesMartinhoe. Whoever 'twas for he thinks there was crockery in it byreason it sunk so quick. Anyhow mother give him a little tap with a mopon the side of his head, to make him mind the Queen's business, anddidn't he holler a bit, and he flung down the parson's letters all inthe muck, but us washed them in a bucket and let parson have them onSunday. Joe Queen's boy haven't been nigh us since, and they did say toMartinhoe us shouldn't have no more letters, but father say if he don'the will show the man there what a forehip mean pretty smart.
Please Miss Clara, us would have written afore, but mother say no, nottill I finish twelve copybooks one every week, that the folks to Londontown might see the way as they ought to write and spell. Father sayLondon be in Gloucestershire, but I am most sure it baint, and BeanyDawe shake his head and won't tell, and mother believe he don't know.
Please Miss, there be a new babby come a month agone and better, andmother find out as how it be a girl, and please if you have no objectionMiss, and if you don't think as it would be a liberty, us has all madeup our minds upon having it christened Clara, and please to say Miss ifit be too high, or any way unfitty. Father be 'most afeared that itsound too grand for the like of us, but mother says as the Huxtables wasthought brave things on, to Coom and Parracombe a hundred years agone.
Please Miss, father heard to Coom market last week, as there's going tobe a French invasion, and they be sure to go to London first, and he begyou to let him know as soon as ever there be one, and he come up at oncewith the big ash-stick and the ivy on it as growed in Challacombe wood,and see as they doesn't hurt you, Miss.
Please Miss, the young chap as saved you from the great goyal come hereto ask for you, day after you was gone, and mother believes he baintafter no good, by token he would not come in nor drink a drop of cider.
Please Miss, father say it make his heart ache every night, to think ofyou all to yourself in the wicked London town, and he go down the laneto the white gate every evening in the hope to see you acoming, andmother say if you be a selling red and blue picturs her hope you willsend for they as father gave the hog's puddens for, and us wont missthem at all.
And Miss Clara dear, I expect you'll be mazed to see how I writes andspells, father say it must be in the family, and I won't write no moretill I have finished another dozen of copy books; and oh dear how I dowish that you were come back again, but father say to me to say no moreabout it for fear to make you cry, Miss. All the little childers exceptthe new babby who have not seen you yet, sends their hearts' loves andduty and a hundred kisses, and father and mother the same, and TimothyBadcock, and Tabby, and Suke, and Beany Dawe, now he knows it.
I remain, Miss Clara dear, your thankful and loving scholar to command,
SARAH HUXTABLE.
Signed all this here papper scrawl in the settle by the fire.
JOHN HUXTABLE his mark XHONOR HUXTABLE hern X."