Page:Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey (1st edition), Volume 3 (Agnes Grey).djvu/184

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176
AGNES GREY.

was "another guess sort of man," to Mr. Hatfield, who before the other's arrival at Horton, had now and then paid him a visit, on which occasions, he would always insist upon having the cottage door kept open to admit the fresh air for his own convenience, without considering how it might injure the sufferer, and having opened his prayer-book, and hastily read over a part of the service for the sick, would hurry away again, if he did not stay to administer some harsh rebuke to the afflicted wife, or to make some thoughtless, not to say heartless, observation rather calculated to increase than diminish the troubles of the suffering pair.

"Whereas," said the man, "Maister Weston 'ull pray with me quite in a different fashion, an' talk to me as kind as owt, an' oft read to me too, an' sit beside me just like a brother."

"Just for all the world!" exclaimed his wife, an' about a three wik sin,' when he seed how poor Jem shivered wi' cold, an' what pitiful fires we kept, he axed if wer stock o' coals was nearly done. I telled him it was, an' we was ill set to get more—but you know mum I didn't think o' him helping us—but how sever, he sent us a sack o' coals next day; an' we've