in his punishment, poor chap."

"What is it?"

"He's shut up i'th dark for as monny year as he's charged fowk for feet o'
gas 'at they've niver burned; an' bi what awve heeard some o'th older end
o'th sperits say, it seems varry likely 'at eternity will ha getten farish
in, befoor he sees leet agean."

"Is he tormented wi' owt?"

"Nowt but his conscience."

"Ha's that?"

"He hadn't one when he coom, soa he's had to tak one at's been left bi
somdy else, an' it pricks him sadly."

"Then it seems his brass willn't save him?"

"Noa, for yo know, 'Wi whatsoever metre yo measure, to yo it'll be measured
agean."

"Is ther owt to ait an' drink i' yor quarter?"

"Noa, they've shut all th' shops up, an' it's time they shut thine up, for
aw'm stall'd o' tawkin to thi?"

Aw wor baan to ax him summat else, but he began to wriggle agean, an' th'
cheerman sed th' sperit wor takkin its departure, an' in a minute he
oppened his een, an luk'd raand as sackless as if he had nobbut just
wakken'd. "Nah, my dear friend," sed th' cheerman, turnin an' spaikin to
me, "aw hooap yo're satisfied. Does ta believe i' what this sperit has
communicated?"

"Well," aw says, "to tell the th' truth, aw can't say 'at aw awther believe
in it or net, for aw've noa proof, but if aw sed owt aw should be inclined
to say 'net'--but still it saands varry likely what one might expect, an'
that's all aw can say abaat it at present."

"Be sure tha comes to awr meetin next Sundy," he sed, "an' aw can see 'at
tha'll sooin be one on us." An' for that reason aw niver went agean, for
aw couldn't help thinkin 'at if aw wanted to be a medium for sperits, 'at
awd rayther get a owd licensed haase an' start reight.

Wol this had been gooin on, awd heeard a chap an' his wife, 'at sat cloise
to me, talkin a gooid deal, an' aw varry sooin fan aght 'at shoo wor tryin
to mak him believe as mich i' sperits as shoo did, an' ivery time th'
medium answered one o' my questions shoo nudged him, an' sed "Does ta hear
that? Its ivery word as true as gospel? Does ta believe it nah?" After
shoo'd axed him two or three times, he sed, "Well, its varry wonderful, an'
aw do begin to think 'at there's summat in it." "A'a!" shoo sed, "aw knew
tha'd believe if aw could get thi to come." It wor Sawney's turn next to
be entranced, as they call it, an' as sooin as th' sperit had takken
possession on him (which seemed to be a varry hard task, an' aw dooant know
wether it went in at h