7.jpg The Pigs]

While I was wondering how my chance of having Lorna could depend upon
my power to carry pig's wash, and how Betty could have any voice in the
matter (which seemed to depend upon her decision), and in short, while
I was all abroad as to her knowledge and everything, the pigs, who had
been fast asleep and dreaming in their emptiness, awoke with one accord
at the goodness of the smell around them. They had resigned themselves,
as even pigs do, to a kind of fast, hoping to break their fast more
sweetly on the morrow morning. But now they tumbled out all headlong,
pigs below and pigs above, pigs point-blank and pigs across, pigs
courant and pigs rampant, but all alike prepared to eat, and all in good
cadence squeaking.

"Tak smarl boocket, and bale un out; wad 'e waste sich stoof as thic
here be?" So Betty set me to feed the pigs, while she held the lanthorn;
and knowing what she was, I saw that she would not tell me another word
until all the pigs were served. And in truth no man could well look at
them, and delay to serve them, they were all expressing appetite in so
forcible a manner; some running to and fro, and rubbing, and squealing
as if from starvation, some rushing down to the oaken troughs, and
poking each other away from them; and the kindest of all putting up
their fore-feet on the top-rail on the hog-pound, and blinking their
little eyes, and grunting prettily to coax us; as who would say, "I
trust you now; you will be kind, I know, and give me the first and the
very best of it."

"Oppen ge-at now, wull 'e, Jan? Maind, young sow wi' the baible back
arlway hath first toorn of it, 'cos I brought her up on my lap, I did.
Zuck, zuck, zuck! How her stickth her tail up; do me good to zee un! Now
thiccy trough, thee zany, and tak thee girt legs out o' the wai. Wish
they wud gie thee a good baite, mak thee hop a bit vaster, I reckon. Hit
that there girt ozebird over's back wi' the broomstick, he be robbing
of my young zow. Choog, choog, choog! and a drap more left in the
dripping-pail."

"Come now, Betty," I said, when all the pigs were at it sucking,
swilling, munching, guzzling, thrusting, and ousting, and spilling
the food upon the backs of their brethren (as great men do with their
charity), "come now, Betty, how much longer am I to wait for your
message? Surely I am as good as a pig."

"Dunno as thee be, Jan. No straikiness in thy bakkon. And now I come to
think of it, Jan, thee zed, a wake a