uld like him to try agean; ther's nowt like
perseverance, an' if a chap fails twelve times th' thirteenth may pay
for all.'

'Mr. Cheerman, Mozart wor deead long befoor yo wor born or thowt on.'

'Then that chap 'at dug his elbow into my guts tell'd me a lie, for he
sed he'd just made a mess for th' twelfth time when aw come in.'

Ther wor a crack o' laffin when he sed that, for th' chaps saw his
mistak, an' soa one on 'em went quietly up to him an' explained it. 'O,
then,' he sed, 'if he's deead we may as weel goa hooam, an' all aw've
getten to say is 'at ony time yo chonce to come by awr haase, just luk
in an' aw'll mak yo welcome, an' my owd lass'll mak yo a mess o' some
sooart 'at'll do yo some gooid. Yo'll find it easy, for aw live th' next
door to th' Pig an' Whistle, an' soa aw wish yo all a varry gooid
neet--Come on Dick.'

Th' Hoil-i'th'-Hill Statty.

CHAPTER I.

Th' Hoil-i'th'-Hill Fowld wor a quiet little place; ther wor sixteen
haases altogether, four on each side ov a big square yard, an' a pump
i'th' middle. Th' fowk 'at lived thear had mooast on 'em been born
thear, an' ther'd been soa monny weddin's amang 'em wol they wor all
summat moor or less akin. Niver i'th' memory o'th' oldest on 'em had
ther been ony change i'th' fowld, except nah an' then a bit o' fresh
paint wor put on th' doors an' winders, until one day th' landlord coom
and browt two or three smart lukkin chaps' at begun to messure hear an'
thear, an' all th' wimmen an' th' childer watched' em wi' as mich
anxiety as if they wor gooin to pool all th' haases daan.

Th' chaps wor all off at ther wark, but when they coom hooam at neet
they wor sooin made acquainted wi' all 'at had gooan on, an' when they'd
getten ther drinkins, one after another walked aght, wol they wor all
met together raand th' pump.

'What does ta mak on it, Jacob?' sed one o'th' younger end, spaikin to
an owd man wi' a grey heead. 'What does ta think they meean to do?'

'Nay aw connot tell, unless it's some o' them wrang-heeaded fowk 'at th'
maister wor tawkin abaat, 'at want to start a schooil booard or some
new-fangled noation.'

'Why, what mak o' schooils is them schooil board consarns?'

'Aw dooant know, nobbut it's a schooil whear yo send childer to leearn
ther letters, an' they booard 'em at same time.'

'Why, that's nooan a bad thing if they give 'em owt daycent to ait.'

'Does ta think they'll have owt at we shalln't have to pay for? Did ta
iv