twirled it round an' round till hoo'd wund it up; an' then,--yo may
guess how capt they wur, when it started a-playin' a tune. 'Hello?' said
Robin. 'A psaum-tune, bith mass! A psaum-tune eawt ov a weshin'-machine!
Heaw's that?' An' he star't like a throttled cat. 'Nay,' said Mary, 'I
cannot tell what to make o' this!' Th' owd woman wur theer, an' hoo
said, 'Mary; Mary, my lass, thou 's gone an' spoilt it,--the very first
thing, theaw has. Theaw's bin tryin' th' wrong keigh, mon; thou has, for
sure.' Then Mary turned to Robin, an' hoo said, 'Whatever sort of a
machine's this, Robin?' 'Nay,' said Robin, 'I dunnot know, beawt it's
one o' thoose at's bin made for weshin' surplices.' But Robin begun
a-smellin' a rat; an', as he didn't want to ha' to tak it back th' same
neet, he pike't off out at th' dur, while they wur hearkenin' th' music;
an' he drove whoam as fast as he could goo. In a minute or two th'
little lass went dancin' into th' parlour to owd Isaac an' hoo cried
out, 'Father, you must come here this minute! Th' weshin'-machine's
playin' th' Owd Hundred!' 'It's what?' cried Isaac, layin' his pipe
down. 'It's playin' th' Owd Hundred! It is, for sure! Oh, it's
beautiful! Come on!' An' hoo tugged at his lap to get him into th'
wesh-house. Then th' owd woman coom in, and hoo said, 'Isaac, whatever
i' the name o' fortin' hasto bin blunderin' and doin' again? Come thi
ways an' look at this machine thae's brought us. It caps me if yean
yowling divle'll do ony weshin'. Thae surely doesn't want to ha' thi
shirt set to music, doesto? We'n noise enough i' this hole beawt yon
startin' or skrikin'. Thae'll ha' th' house full o' fiddlers an'
doancers in a bit.' 'Well, well,' said Isaac, 'aw never yerd sich a tale
i' my life! Yo'n bother't me a good while about a piano; but if we'n
getten a weshin'-machine that plays church music, we're set up, wi' a
rattle! But aw'll come an' look at it.' An' away he went to th'
wesh-house, wi' th' little lass pooin' at him, like a kitlin' drawin' a
stone-cart. Th' owd woman followed him, grumblin' o' th' road,--'Isaac,