'
'But you held in for all that, didn't you, Mr Macey?' said the
landlord.
'Aye, I held in tight till I was by mysen wi' Mr Drumlow, and
then I out wi' everything, but respectful, as I allays did. And he
made light on it, and he says, "Pooh, pooh, Macey, make yourself
easy," he says, "it's neither the meaning nor the words- it's the
regester does it- that's the glue." So you see he settled it easy; for
parsons and doctors know everything by heart, like, so as they
aren't worreted wi' thinking what's the rights and wrongs o' things,
as I'n been many and many's the time. And sure enough the wedding
turned out all right, on'y poor Mrs Lammeter- that's Miss Osgood as
was- died afore the lasses were growed up; but for prosperity and
everything respectable, there's no family more looked on.'
Every one of Mr Macey's audience had heard this story many times,
but it was listened to as if it had been a favourite tune, and at
certain points the puffing of the pipes was momentarily suspended,
that the listeners might give their whole minds to the expected words.
But there was more to come; and Mr Snell, the landlord, duly put the
leading question.
'Why, old Mr Lammeter had a pretty fortin, didn't they say, when he
come into these parts?'
'Well, yes,' said Mr Macey; 'but I daresay it's as much as this
Mr Lammeter's done to keep it whole. For there was allays a talk as
nobody could get rich on the Warrens: though he holds it cheap, for
it's what they call Charity Land.
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