Collecia7iea.
79
" An' started runnin' round agen. Presently 'er daughter came in an' seed 'er mother runnin' round the table an' callin' out, so she knowed she'd got a spell on 'er. She went on like that for an hour and a half, then 'er son came back from work an' see'd 'is mother runnin' round the table, callin' out,
" ' Six an' four's ten, Here's off agen.'
" So 'e said, ' Why, mother, what's t' matter ? ' " An' she says, ' Oh, I don't know !
" ' Six an' four's ten, Here's off agen.'
" So 'e said to 'is sister, ' 'As so-an'-so been 'ere?' an' she said 'e 'ad, an' 'e said, ' 'Ow long's 'e been gone ? ' an' she said, ' Two hour.'
" So 'e went an' caught up old Jenkyns an' tells 'im what was wrong, an' Jenkyns says, ' Serve 'er right for chargin' a poor man tenpence for a bit o' bread an' cheese. But,' 'e says, ' you go an' look under a candlestick on your mantelpiece ; there you'll see a bit of paper. Don't you look at it or it'll be the worse for you, but throw it in the fire. An' I hope this'll be a lesson to yer mother.'
" So the son went home, an' there was 'is mother, still runnin' round an' calling out,
" ' Six an' four's ten, Here's off agen.'
" 'E ran to the chimney-piece, there was the paper ! an' 'e throwed it in the fire ; 'is mother dropped into a chair, all exhausted like. An' it served 'er right."
Mrs. Briton stopped, quite exhausted, for she had been acting the story herself all the time, rushing round the table and shouting,
" Six an' four's ten, Here's off agen."
Mrs. Pryce and I were simply screaming with laughter, and it was some time before Mrs. Pryce went on, with a rather disjointed story about a witch :
