Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III "WHO be there ? Come in, if you please," called Mother Trenoweth, as a knock was heard at the door. " Oh ! be it you, Loveday ? Well, my dear, I'm real glad to see 'ee. Sit 'ee down. It be so mortal dull at times here that I'm right glad to have a neighbour drop in. Sit 'ee down— tak' a chair i' front o' the fire." Then, as she caught sight of her neighbour's face, she said quickly, " Why, what's wrong wi' 'ee, woman ?" " What's wrong ? My gosh ! What's right, you might be askin'! Be Janet in ?" Loveday Penberthy peered round the room as she asked the question, and seeing Trenoweth apparently asleep, she smiled and jerked her thumb in an interrogative way over her shoulder towards the door by which she had just entered, at which gesture Mother Trenoweth shook her head, and sighed wearily : " Lordy ! my dear, her bean't back yet." " My blessed life ! " ejaculated Loveday, the gossip and ne'er-do-weel of the village ; " I be near faintin', that I be ; I can 'ardly stan' upright at all"—to prove which she leaned her stout person against the end of the window seat, folded her large bare arms, rested them on her capacious stomach, and let all her weight fall on one leg in her endeavour to ease both mind and body. " Whatever be the matter, Loveday ? Is Jan not so well agin ?" " Oh ! Jan ! he be right enough, and if he warn't I don't knaw as I s'ud fret over much 'bout he. Lazy lump ! He don't earn tuppence a week all told, and I've to go down 'long o' Mazes to wash and char and do coddles for he to guzzle hissel' out wi' baccy and meat. I'll have 'ee knaw, Mrs. Trenoweth, that I'm fairly done fur." " Mazes," said the old woman, " Mazes ? who be they then ? But sit 'ee down, Loveday, sit 'ee down, woman, and tell me all 'bout it." "I'm feared I s'll be upsettin' o' K...