e," he says, efther
another little time. Then all of a soodden, he sings oot for a loight,
and when it cooms--ecod, such a hoorly-boorly! "Wa'at's the matter?"
says I. "He's gane," says he,--stark mad wi' vengeance. "Have you heerd
nought?" "Ees," says I, "I heerd street-door shut, no time at a' ago.
I heerd a person run doon there" (pointing t'other wa'--eh?) "Help!" he
cries. "I'll help you," says I; and off we set--the wrong wa'! Ho! ho!
ho!'

'Did you go far?' asked Nicholas.

'Far!' replied John; 'I run him clean off his legs in quarther of an
hoor. To see old schoolmeasther wi'out his hat, skimming along oop to
his knees in mud and wather, tumbling over fences, and rowling into
ditches, and bawling oot like mad, wi' his one eye looking sharp out for
the lad, and his coat-tails flying out behind, and him spattered wi' mud
all ower, face and all! I tho't I should ha' dropped doon, and killed
myself wi' laughing.'

John laughed so heartily at the mere recollection, that he communicated
the contagion to both his hearers, and all three burst into peals of
laughter, which were renewed again and again, until they could laugh no
longer.

'He's a bad 'un,' said John, wiping his eyes; 'a very bad 'un, is
schoolmeasther.'

'I can't bear the sight of him, John,' said his wife.

'Coom,' retorted John, 'thot's tidy in you, thot is. If it wa'nt along
o' you, we shouldn't know nought aboot 'un. Thou know'd 'un first,
Tilly, didn't thou?'

'I couldn't help knowing Fanny Squeers, John,' returned his wife; 'she
was an old playmate of mine, you know.'

'Weel,' replied John, 'dean't I say so, lass? It's best to be
neighbourly, and keep up old acquaintance loike; and what I say is,
dean't quarrel if 'ee can help it. Dinnot think so, Mr Nickleby?'

'Certainly,' returned Nicholas; 'and you acted upon that principle when
I meet you on horseback on the road, after our memorable evening.'

'Sure-ly,' said John. 'Wa'at I say, I stick by.'

'And that's a fine thing to do, and manly too,' said Nicholas, 'though
it's not exactly what we understand by "coming Yorkshire over us" in
London. Miss Squeers is stopping with you, you said in your note.'

'Yes,' replied John, 'Tilly's bridesmaid; and a queer bridesmaid she be,
too. She wean't be a bride in a hurry, I reckon.'

'For shame, John,' said Mrs Browdie; with an acute perception of the
joke though, being a bride herself.

'The groom will be a blessed mun,' said John, his eyes