thes, that's all; she has only been a woman
a few months." If she tells of her, she will tell of me, I thought. It
might come to my aunt's ears, Fred would know, and I should get into a
scrape.

"It is a pity she has not done it," said I, "for then she would not
tell." "I wish she had," she replied. One thing suggested another. "She
knows all about what we were doing?" Sarah nodded. "Get her to promise
not to tell, and get her to let me do it to her, and I will give you two
pounds," said I, taking the money out of my purse.

It was more money than she had ever had in her life at one time, her
eyes glistened; she was silent a minute as if reflecting, then said,
"She has always been unkind to me, and she shant get me turned out if I
can help it." Then after farther talk, some hesitation, and asking me if
I was sure I would give her the money, she said, "I'll try, let's have
a jolly good drink, then I'll leave you together," and we went into the
kitchen. I saw her dodge.

Martha was leaning, looking out of the window, her bum sticking out, her
short petticoats showing a sturdy pair of legs; she turned round to us,
it was about eleven o'clock in the day, the old man was at work far off
and had taken his dinner with him that day, Sarah had told me.

"You won't tell father," said Sarah in a smooth tone. No reply but
a grin. "If you do, I will tell him I saw young Smith's hand up your
clothes." "It's a lie."

"Yes, he did, and you know you have seen all he has got to show." "You
are a liar," said Martha. Sarah turned to me and said, "Yes, she did,
we both saw him leaking, and a dozen more chaps." "She saw their
cocks?" said I. "Yes." "You took me to see them, you bitch," said Martha
bursting out in a rage. "You did not want much taking, what did you say,
and what did you do in bed that night, when we talked about it?" "You
are a wicked wretch, to talk like that before a strange young man," said
Martha and bounced out of the cottage.

In a short time she came in again, the oldest told me scandals she
knew about her sister, and made her so wild, that they nearly fought. I
stopped them, they made it up, and I sent off the eldest to fetch shrub,
gin and peppermint; it was a good mile to the tavern in the village.

When she had gone I told Martha I hoped she would do no mischief. She
was nothing loath to let me kiss her, so there was soon acquaintance
between us. She had seen me half naked, how long she had been watching I