Mary Barton Page #34

Mary Barton: A Tale of Manchester Life is the first novel by English author Elizabeth Gaskell, published in 1848. The story is set in the English city of Manchester between 1839 and 1842, and deals with the difficulties faced by the Victorian working class.

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after he'd all along been wishing me to take it. Well, we buried
Margaret and her husband in a big, crowded, lonely churchyard in
London. I were loath to leave them there, as I thought, when they
rose again, they'd feel so strange at first away fra Manchester, and
all old friends; but it couldna be helped. Well, God watches o'er
their grave there as well as here. That funeral cost a mint o' money,
but Jennings and I wished to do th' thing decent. Then we'd the stout
little babby to bring home. We'd not overmuch money left; but it were
fine weather, and we thought we'd take th' coach to Brummagem, and
walk on. It were a bright May morning when last I saw London town,
looking back from a big hill a mile or two off. And in that big mass
o' a place I were leaving my blessed child asleep--in her last sleep.
Well, God's will be done! She's gotten to heaven afore me; but I
shall get there at last, please God, though it's a long while first.

"The babby had been fed afore we set out, and th' coach moving kept
it asleep, bless its little heart. But when th' coach stopped for
dinner it were awake, and crying for its pobbies. [32] So we asked
for some bread and milk, and Jennings took it first for to feed it;
but it made its mouth like a square, and let it run out at each o'
th' four corners. 'Shake it, Jennings,' says I; 'that's the way they
make water run through a funnel, when it's o'er full; and a child's
mouth is broad end o' th' funnel, and th' gullet the narrow one.' So
he shook it, but it only cried th' more. 'Let me have it,' says I,
thinking he were an awkward oud chap. But it were just as bad wi' me.
By shaking th' babby we got better nor a gill into its mouth, but
more nor that came up again, wetting a' th' nice dry clothes landlady
had put on. Well, just as we'd gotten to th' dinner-table, and helped
oursels, and eaten two mouthful, came in th' guard, and a fine chap
wi' a sample o' calico flourishing in his hand. 'Coach is ready!'
says one; 'Half-a-crown your dinner!' says th' other. Well, we
thought it a deal for both our dinners, when we'd hardly tasted 'em;
but, bless your life, it were half-a-crown apiece, and a shilling
for th' bread and milk as were possetted all over babby's clothes.
We spoke up again [33] it; but every body said it were the rule, so
what could two poor oud chaps like us do again it? Well, poor babby
cried without stopping to take breath, fra' that time till we got
to Brummagem for the night. My heart ached for th' little thing. It
caught wi' its wee mouth at our coat sleeves and at our mouths, when
we tried t' comfort it by talking to it. Poor little wench! It wanted
its mammy, as were lying cold in th' grave. 'Well,' says I, 'it'll
be clemmed to death, if it lets out its supper as it did its dinner.
Let's get some woman to feed it; it comes natural to women to do for
babbies.' So we asked th' chamber-maid at the inn, and she took quite
kindly to it; and we got a good supper, and grew rare and sleepy,
what wi' th' warmth, and wi' our long ride i' th' open air. Th'
chamber-maid said she would like t' have it t' sleep wi' her, only
missis would scold so; but it looked so quiet and smiling like, as it
lay in her arms, that we thought 'twould be no trouble to have it wi'
us. I says: 'See, Jennings, how women-folk do quieten babbies; it's
just as I said.' He looked grave; he were always thoughtful-looking,
though I never heard him say any thing very deep. At last says he--


   [Footnote 32: "Pobbies," or "pobs," child's porridge.]

   [Footnote 33: "Again," for against. "He that is not with me,
                 he is ageyn me."--Wickliffe's Version.]


"'Young woman! have you gotten a spare night-cap?'

"'Missis always keeps night-caps for gentlemen as does not like to
unpack,' says she, rather quick.

"'Ay, but young woman, it's one of your night-caps I want. Th' babby
seems to have taken a mind to yo; and may be in th' dark it might
take me for yo if I'd getten your night-cap on.'

"The chambermaid smirked and went for a cap, but I laughed outright
at th' oud bearded chap thinking he'd make hissel like a woman just
by putting on a woman's cap. Howe'er he'd not be laughed out on't, so
I held th' babby till he were in bed. Such a night as we had on it!
Babby began to scream o' th' oud fashion, and we took it turn and
turn about to sit up and rock it. My heart were very sore for th'
little one, as it groped about wi' its mouth; but for a' that I could
scarce keep fra' smiling at th' thought o' us two oud chaps, th' one
wi' a woman's night-cap on, sitting on our hinder ends for half th'
night, hushabying a babby as wouldn't be hushabied. Toward morning,
poor little wench! it fell asleep, fairly tired out wi' crying, but
even in its sleep it gave such pitiful sobs, quivering up fra' the
very bottom of its little heart, that once or twice I almost wished
it lay on its mother's breast, at peace for ever. Jennings fell
asleep too; but I began for to reckon up our money. It were little
enough we had left, our dinner the day afore had ta'en so much. I
didn't know what our reckoning would be for that night lodging, and
supper, and breakfast. Doing a sum alway sent me asleep ever sin' I
were a lad; so I fell sound in a short time, and were only wakened by
chambermaid tapping at th' door, to say she'd dress the babby afore
her missis were up if we liked. But bless yo', we'd never thought o'
undressing it th' night afore, and now it were sleeping so sound, and
we were so glad o' the peace and quietness, that we thought it were
no good to waken it up to screech again.

"Well! (there's Mary asleep for a good listener!) I suppose you're
getting weary of my tale, so I'll not be long over ending it. Th'
reckoning left us very bare, and we thought we'd best walk home,
for it were only sixty mile, they telled us, and not stop again for
nought, save victuals. So we left Brummagem, (which is as black a
place as Manchester, without looking so like home), and walked a'
that day, carrying babby turn and turn about. It were well fed by
chambermaid afore we left, and th' day were fine, and folk began to
have some knowledge o' th' proper way o' speaking, and we were more
cheery at thoughts o' home (though mine, God knows, were lonesome
enough). We stopped none for dinner, but at baggin-time [34] we
getten a good meal at a public-house, an' fed th' babby as well as
we could, but that were but poorly. We got a crust too, for it to
suck--chambermaid put us up to that. That night, whether we were
tired or whatten, I don't know, but it were dree [35] work, and poor
wench had slept out her sleep, and began th' cry as wore my heart out
again. Says Jennings, says he,


   [Footnote 34: "Baggin-time," time of the evening meal.]

   [Footnote 35: "Dree," long and tedious. Anglo-Saxon, "dreogan,"
                 to suffer, to endure.]


"'We should na ha' set out so like gentlefolk a top o' the coach
yesterday.'

"'Nay, lad! We should ha' had more to walk, if we had na ridden, and
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