'At streams thro' th' manshuns above.




Jim Nation's Fish-shop.


Sammywell Grimes an his wife, Mally, wor set anent th' foir,--Sammywell
seemingly varry mich interested ith' newspaper, an Mally, showin signs
ov impatience, wor darnin stockins. All wor silent except for th' tickin
oth' clock, wi nah an then a long-drawn-aght sigh throo Mally an an
occasional grunt throo Grimes. At last Mally couldn't stand it onny
longer, an shoo pitched th' stockins on th' table an sed,--

"Dost know, its just cloise on an haar an a hawf sin tha set daan wi
that paper, an tha's nivver oppened thi lips to me durin that time? Aw
remember when things wor different. Ther wor a time when tha tuk a
delight i' tellin me all th' news, but latterly tha tells me nowt, an if
it worn't for Hepsabah an some oth' naybors aw shouldn't know whether
th' world wor gooin on as usual, or it had come to an end."

"Why, lass,--th' fact oth' matter is ther's nowt to tell. Aw nivver saw
th' like. Aw dooant know what papers are gooin into, for ther isn't a
bit o' news in em. Aw've just glanced ovver this an aw can find nowt
worth readin."

"It doesen't tak thee an haar an a hawf to find that aght. Is ther owt
in abaat th' war?"