ivver heeard ov it befooar, but if yor fond ov it, aw'll try an get
it an sing it for yo."

Th' owd man wor baan to ax some mooar questions when Sydney thinkin it
wor time to change th' subject, sed:--"Aw've come, Mr. Mothersdale, to
ax if yo've onny objections to"--he'd quite forgetten abaat his voice
ageean, an when he gate that far, Mabel's father begun o' beein quite
sewer i' wor th' madman, an he stuck in wi:--"Do yo happen, Mr. Horne,
to have a big knife abaat yo, for aw want one for abaat hawf a minnit?"

Sydney wor just baan to bring aght his Jack knife, but he remembered
just i' time, soa he sed, "Noa, awm sorry aw haven't, but Mister
Mothersdale wod yo have onny objections to Mabel an me keepin company?
Awm weel off, aw've a gooid hooam to tak her to, an awm sewer aw can mak
her happy."

Nah ivvery word at Sydney sed made owd Mothersdale mooar sewer at he wor
th' chap at he'd coom daan i'th train wi th' neet afooar. He wor awfully
riled abaat it yo may be sewer, for if ther wor one thing on earth at he
couldn't abide it wor th' stink o' bacca, an he'd been varry near
smooared i' that railway carriage. But wol he wor as mad as a hatter
abaat it, he remembered at he'd heeard Mabel say 'at this Mister Horne
had heaps o' brass, soa he thowt he'd say no mooar abaat th' neet
afooar, but let him wed th' lass, an tak a revenge aght ov him some
other way.

Soa he started jawin away, as these better class fathers does, abaat ha
he couldn't bide to part wi his dear Mabel, an soa on; but when Sydney
tell'd him abaat his Bank shares, an th' cottage haase property, he
sooin gave in.

"Well," he sed wi a sniff, as if he'd getten a bad cowd in his heead,
"if yo booath on yo love each other soa mich, aw willn't stand in th'
road o' yor happiness, but ther's one little request aw must ask yo to
grant me, Mr. Horne, in return for my dowter?"

Sydney wor soa sewted at th' way things wor gooin, at he blurted aght,
"awst be glad to promise owt yo like to ask, sir."

"Awm a member o' th' Anti-tobacca Society," sed th' owd beggar chucklin
to hissen, "an aw hooap yo dooant indulge i' smookin or snufftakkin?"

"Aw do smook a little, sir, but varry little."

"Then, ov cooarse as its soa little, yo willn't object to give it up in
order to win Mabel's hand?"

Poor Sydney, he'd nobbut had three cigars that mornin, an he wor fair
deein to get aght an have a smook, but ther didn't seem noa escape, soa
wi a sigh, he sed:--"Varry w