THE DOCTOR 
 
 a flDani* poem 
 
 (T.JE. BROWN, M.A. 
 
 Late Felloiv of Oriel College 
 Author of" Betsy Lee" "Fo'c's'le YarMS," etc. 
 
 LONDON 
 
 SWAN SONNENSCHEIN & CO. 
 PATERNOSTER SQUARE
 
 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 STORIES ! stories ! nothin but stories ! 
 Spinnin away to the height of your glories ! 
 And if I must, I suppose I must, 
 And you suspectin, I wouldn' trust, 1 
 And sittin there all the time, and thinkin 
 Is it true he's tellin ? and nudgin and winkin. 
 Now, bless my soul ! what for would I go 
 To tell you lies ? You're foolish though ! 
 And there's odds of lies, for the matter of that, 
 For there's lies that's skinny, and lies that's fat; 
 And lies in fustian, and lies in silk, 
 And lies like verjuice, and lies like milk ; 
 And lies that's free, and lies for sale, 
 1 I rather think. 
 
 B
 
 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And rumpy lies, without a tail ; 
 
 Grew in the garden and picked in the woods, 
 
 Bubbles blew with the divil's suds ; 
 
 Lies that's sweet, and lies with a stink at l them ; 
 
 Lies like the dew that'll go if you wink at them, 
 
 And some as hard you couldn' break them 
 
 With a sledge 3 aw, my lad knows well how to make 
 
 them ! 
 
 Haven' he got the tools to his hand 
 Down there ? And the fire ! Aw, he works them 
 
 grand ! 
 
 For it isn' every fool that's fit 
 To make a rael good lie, that'll sit 
 On her keel, and answer her helm no ! no ! 
 Just try it, Bob ! Just try it though ! 
 Well put together ! you're took on the sudden ? 
 You couldn'? Didn't I tell ye ye couldn'? 
 Lies ! what lies ! the things I'm tellin 
 Is the abslit 3 truth ax Neddy Crellin ! 
 
 1 Of. 2 Hammer. 3 Absolute.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Ears is ears, and eyes is eyes, 
 And fax is fax, and that's the lies ! 
 
 The Docthor! T/ie Docthor ! well, well, well ! 
 The Docthor ! poor ould Docthor Bell ! 
 Aw, I liked that man I did though, for sure ! * 
 Uncommon good he was to the poor ! 
 And free and hearty, but never much 
 Of a quality Docthor, nor regardin for such ; 
 Nor buckin up, 2 the way he might, 
 But proud to the lek, and very quite ; 3 
 And keepin back aw, keepin back 
 Reglar, and allis very slack, 
 Such times that they'd be sendin the gig, 
 Or the horse, aw, he didn' care a fig, 
 But take his own time, and the coachman swearin 
 At the door, for an hour, and the Docthor hearin, 
 And takin no notice, but readin the paper, 
 And " Doctors is chape, but time is chaper." 
 1 Really. * Pushing. - 3 Quiet.
 
 TflE DOCTOR. 
 
 And rap-rap-rap, and ring-ring-ring ! 
 And the Doctor as happy as a king ! 
 
 And " The missis is took very bad with them, 
 
 sir ! 
 
 And you're wanted most partikkiler ! " 
 And " I got the gig," and " are you asleep ? " 
 " Aw, she'll keep," said the Docthor, " she'll keep ! 
 
 she'll keep ! " 
 
 Aw, middlin rough, I tell ye, eh? 
 Rough and careless lek that way. 
 For he didn' want their company 
 Nor their money neither, aw, he'd let them see ! 
 But if a poor man's wife was shoutin, 
 Or some ould granny's innards routin, 
 Or fever, or fits, or tight in the breathin, 
 Or a child screwed up agate o' 1 the teethin, 
 Or drowned, or run over no matter what ! 
 Out on the door, and off like a shot ! 
 1 On account of.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 5 
 
 Rich he wasn', nor never could be. 
 
 Savin he wasn', nor never would be 
 
 Aw, the hand in the pocket, and out with it all 
 
 As natheral, as natheral ! 
 
 But the all wasn' much aw 'deed * it wasn', 
 
 Maybe only a key, or a lump of rosin, 
 
 Or a bit of string, and pokin and pokin, 
 
 And heisin, 2 and divin, and allis jokin ; 
 
 But gettin very red in the face, 
 
 And divil a screw. And the shamed he was ! 
 
 And "Never mind, Docthor ! aw, never mind!" 
 
 And Wasrf he kind, and wasn' he kind! 
 
 And The will was as good as the deed, for all / :i 
 
 But bless ye ! of coorse there wasn' no call, 
 
 Nor the one of us wanted a penny of him, 
 
 Faith ! it's a deuced sight rather we'd gav him.* 
 
 A Docthor ! aw, it's right no doubt 
 
 Somethin just to be haulin out 
 
 1 Indeed. - Hoisting = lifting. 
 
 3 After all. 4 .Ve would have given to him.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 For the kids a lozenger or the lek 
 
 Of coorse ! of coorse ! one might expec' 
 
 But money ! We warn' that poor ! Didn' Peter 
 
 Find it in the haddock ? And hav'n' the crayther 
 
 Got the mark of the ould chap's thum 
 
 Where he squoze it? But as for a drop of rum, 
 
 Or whatever was goin gin, or brandy, 
 
 Or jough, 1 or the lek, it come very handy 
 
 To the Docthor, I tell ye ; aw, never say no ! 
 
 " Thank you, kindly," and down you go ! 
 
 Aw, he could do well with it, he could ! 
 
 And 'deed I'm thinkin it run in the blood. 
 
 And nice it was to see him takin it, 
 
 Smilin that way, and suckin and slakin it 
 
 Sweet in his throat, and the very belly of him 
 
 Risin to meet it, and warming the jelly of him ! 
 
 And " My cumplimans ! " and the twist of the 
 
 hand ! 
 
 A\y, the rael fine ould gentleman ! 
 1 Ale.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Now, a drunken docthor is rather danger's, 
 
 You'll be sayin, and aisy might seem to strangers; 
 
 But them that knew him knew the differ, 1 
 
 For never no man was brewin it stiffer 
 
 Till 2 the Docthor, mind ! But give him fair play ! 
 
 Five glasses or so, and, by gough! I'll lay 
 
 It was only the steadier he got 
 
 And the head that was at him as round as a 
 
 pot, 
 
 And as big as two aye, big altogether, 
 A fine 'strong man for any weather. 
 Aw, the Docthor had room ! for there's chaps that 
 
 small 
 
 And pinched in the guts, they won't do at all, 
 Nor can't hould on. Chut ! 3 Botheration 1 
 The Docthor had the accommodation ! 
 
 And if so be he was sprung a bit, 
 He knew himself when he wasn' fit, 
 
 1 Difference. 2 Than. 3 Tut.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And wouldn stir aw, steady still ! 
 
 And sensible ! allis sensible ! 
 
 " I'll just look round in the mornin," he'd say, 
 
 And of coorse they had to go away. 
 
 But clever ! bless ye ! that's the man 
 
 That was the clever ! aw, a terrible hand ! 
 
 With the bleedin and that, and, high or low, 
 
 What was there that he didn' know ? 
 
 Arbs and roots and putrifactions ! l 
 
 Bills o' passils 2 and vulgar fractions ! 
 
 Birds and beasts. Like Solomon 
 
 In Kings it's tellin, ould David's son, 
 
 The wise he was, and put in the Bible, 
 
 For the wise he was, but unforntit li'ble 
 
 To women, and that's the way it is, 
 
 There is'n one of us hasn't a list 
 
 To port or starboard, either way 
 
 " Some likes coffee, some likes tea ! " 
 
 1 Petrifactions. - Bills of parcels (in arith.).
 
 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Well, he was clever though let him alone ! 
 
 Every jint and every bone, 
 
 And every stave in your body chut ! 
 
 I believe the man could have made a foot, 
 
 Or a hand every bit as good as new, 
 
 And put it on with a slick of glue 
 
 Or the lek, and bless me ! ye wouldn' have 
 
 knowed 
 
 (The natheral) it hadn' growed. 
 Didn' he take a man's inside out, 
 And claned it and turned it round about 
 And in like a shot, and livin still 
 As comfible as comfible ! 
 Aye, aye, did he ! And a fellow's head 
 That was broke at l a gauger and left for dead, 
 What did he do but trimmed it a bit, 
 And put another lid to it 
 
 As nate as you plaize, and says he to the gauger, 
 " You'll not break that in a hurry, I'll wager ! " 
 >By.
 
 io THE DOCTOR. 
 
 I know the man, a chap with one eye, 
 And gove l to fightin and divil the lie ! 
 
 I don't know in my senses had he a charrim " 
 
 For everything, for the books that was arrim ! ;i 
 
 And the picthers aw, you never saw ! 
 
 Pieces o' pessons all as raw 
 
 And red as the shambles painted lek, 
 
 And some all over a sort of a speck, 
 
 Like these dirty flies agate o' 4 the beef, 
 
 And things in bottles that come to grief, 
 
 Bein meant to be born, but never wasn', 
 
 Soakin in spirits, and never a pazon 
 
 Done nothin for them, but spoilt in the moulds 
 
 Someway bless their little sowls ! 
 
 And hadn' he a skeleton hung 
 
 Behind the door? And the way he flung, 
 
 His dry ould chopsticks round ye ! grippin, 
 
 1 Given. 2 Charm. 
 
 3 At him=his. 4 At work upon.
 
 THE DOCTOR. ii 
 
 And grinnin ; and you goin duckin, and dippin ! 
 
 And houldin on with a click of a spring 
 
 Made fast to the hinges, all bones and string 
 
 And wire, and a kind of a sort of a trigger, 
 
 And rittte-rattle, the boosely x ould nigger ! 
 
 And knives and screws, and prokers and lances, 
 
 It was fit to frecken 2 you out of your senses : 
 
 It was, for sure. 3 And a big white dummy 
 
 With cipherin on his head ; 4 and a mummy 
 
 Brought from Egypt at some French divils, 
 
 And catgut, and pinchers set on swivels 
 
 And - God knows what ! But it wasn' them ! 
 
 No ! that wasn' the way it came 
 
 To the Doctor, but just the head he got, 
 
 And the heart, and knowin every dot 
 
 Of a man, and lovin them, and thinkin 
 
 What were they like, and their eatin and drinkin 
 
 Proud, lek proud, and rejicin in them 
 
 1 Beastly. " Frighten. 
 
 3 Really. * Phrenological head.
 
 12 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And if the divil was to win them, 
 Still there was the man, and the beautiful art 
 That was took to mortise every part, 
 And the power that was in, and the putty 1 jined, 
 And plaised and happy in his kind 
 Man to man aye, that's your size, 
 That's the thing that'll make you wise- 
 That's the plan that'll carry the day 
 Lovin is understandin eh? 
 Lovin is understandin. Well, 
 He'd a lovin ould heart, had Docthor Bell. 
 But careless very careless, though 
 Bless ye ! and lettin hisself too low ! 
 The clever he was, and the gentleman born 
 It was a pity of him and never car'n' ~ 
 To take his place, and the quality 
 Thinkin diamonds of him, and him on the spree 
 Weeks at a time, and clane forge ttin 
 Who was he and what was he, and lettin 
 J Prettily. 2 Caring.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 13 
 
 The people talk, but simple as ever, 
 
 And humble and proud ; but aw, the clever ! 
 
 The clever ! the clever ! and Tom and Dick, 
 
 And all the lot, as thick as thick 
 
 And likin him much, but very quite, 1 
 
 And a kind of a feelin it wasn' right. 
 
 But glasses round, and very nice talk, 
 
 And Callow's wife agate of the chalk, 
 
 And the Docthor in the big arm-cheer 
 
 Aw, much respected never fear! 
 
 And " Misthress Callow ! draw your best ! 
 And listen ! fill the Docthor's glass ! " 
 No, I didn' like that aw, 'deed ! I didn' ! 
 And they shouldn' have done it ! no, they shouldn'. 
 But sippin as nice as a 'potamus 
 And never no pride with the like of us ! 
 Not him, I tell ye ! but quite contrary, 
 And callin Misthriss Callow " Mary " 
 1 Quiet.
 
 14 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And never talkin much, but sittin 
 And list'nin to others, and smookin and spittin, 
 And the chair a little back in the 'cess, 1 
 And takin a terrible interes'. 
 
 That was the Docthor? yes, that was him 
 The very man ! And, sink or swim 
 Up or down, to laugh or to cry with, 
 That's the man I'd like to die with. 
 
 The Pazon ? Yes ! aw, yes ! well, maybe 
 Aw innocent ! innocent as a baby, 
 And good and true ; but, for all, a man 
 Is a man, and I don't know will you understan', 
 But you know there's people's goin that good 
 They haven't a smell for the steam of the blood 
 That's in a man ; or, if they have, 
 They houlds their noses, and makes belave 
 They havn'. But the Pazon no ! 
 1 Recess.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 15 
 
 True and kind ; and the ebb and the flow 
 
 Of all men's hearts went through and through him 
 
 The sweet ould man, if you'd only knew him ! 
 
 But the lek is in, 1 and meant is meant 
 
 But the Docthor ! aw, the different ! 
 
 And it wasn' men only, but 'arbs and that 
 I tould ye before aw, he had them pat, 
 And all sorts of bases 2 and fowls of the air, 
 And fish of the sea, anjd everywhere 
 Where God put life it would give him a start, 
 And he'd take- and catch it with his heart, 
 Trimblin mostly, and wonderin, 
 But bound to find out all that was in, 
 And never satisfied till he had it 
 Jsn' that the way with God that made it? 
 Only at ither 3 ends, you know, 
 Him above and us below 
 Like men in a mine, that's got to be workin 
 1 There are such people. 2 Beasts. 3 Either.
 
 16 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Two levels in one, and stoppin, and herkin, 1 
 
 And the compass at them, 2 and keepin nix, 
 
 And list'nin for each other's picks. 
 
 And when they're together middlin cluss, 3 
 
 They're workin like blazes who'll be fuss, 4 
 
 And slishin, slashin, rock and spar 
 
 Till the hole is broke ; and there they are ! 
 
 " But it isn' that way with God at all," 
 The Docthor would say, "for the thinner the wall 
 Between you and Him the slacker He is, 
 And not mindin lek; and if you persiss," 
 Them was the Docthor's words, " He'll either 
 Go back, or go by ; and it's foolish rather," 
 He'd say, "you'll be lookin ! And see a flower," 
 He'd say, " partickler after a shower 
 Wouldn' you think now (a rose or a lily) 
 He was goin to talk to you with it ? But will He ? 
 Not Him, bless ye ! But back and back, 
 1 Harking. 2 Having a compass. 3 Close. 4 First.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 17 
 
 And in and in, and laves no track 
 
 Red and yaller ! aye, just so! 
 
 And the more you know, the less you know ! " 
 
 Funny talk ! but lovin for all 
 
 Everythin that was beautiful ! 
 
 "A thing of beauty is a joy for ever," 
 
 He was sayin. And the tender ! aw, you never ! 
 
 The tender he'd handle the like, and strookin 
 
 Their little 'leaves, and lookin, and lookin. 
 
 Beetles, too, and butterflies 
 
 Aw, they'd bring a light to the ould man's eyes 
 
 That was good to look at ; and then he'd 'splain 
 
 How they were livin. And after rain 
 
 H 
 
 It's out to the garden he'd be like a shot, 
 And down on the grubs uncommon hot; 
 And a lump of a case at him where he kep' 'em, 
 And 1 pinched the worm or the louse that could 
 skep 2 him. 
 
 1 Hardly. z Escape.
 
 1 8 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 But tangles ! that was his delight ! 
 
 Dredgin, I tell ye, from mornin till night ! 
 
 And he'd have me out with him just a Httle chap 
 
 That could work the paddles, and a sort of a trap 
 
 He'd rigged a-purpose a scraper you'd call it, 
 
 To scrape the bottom, and heavy to haul it; 
 
 But keen ! aw, keen ! and a nettin to't 
 
 Rove with rings that would open and shut 
 
 Like a purse. And " Aisy ! aisy ! " he'd say. 
 
 And I'd be stoppin, and him haulin away, 
 
 And sweatin bad, and up he'd have it, 
 
 And over the side as right as a travit, 1 
 
 And then the joy ! the abslit 2 wild, 
 
 And shoutin just like a little child ! 
 
 And " Look here ! look here ! look ! look ! little 
 
 lad ! " 
 
 Aw, you'd swore the man was going mad ! 
 " Here they are ! " and sortin them out 
 On the taff, 3 and twistin and turnin about 
 
 1 Trivet. a Absolutely. * Thwart.
 
 THE DOCTOR, 19 
 
 That I'd be takin notice, and puttin 
 
 The terrible names on them, and cuttin 
 
 The stones and the muck out of them, and squeezin 
 
 The little threads ; and coaxin and teazin 
 
 The fringes, and spreadin them out on his sleeve, 
 
 But the delicate ! you wouldn' believe ; 
 
 And the soft and lovin, and a sort of a cooin 
 
 Coin at him 1 all he was doin. 
 
 And prayin, you'd think, and passin the stringers 
 
 Of the long sea grass betwix his fingers, 
 
 As if it wasn wrack 2 he had there, 
 
 But the holy bread, or a baby's hair. 
 
 And sometimes I'd be freckened 3 lek, 
 
 Or sittin wondrin on the beck, 4 
 
 And the oars dropped from me, and my mouth as 
 
 open 
 
 A little chap ! or may be hopin 
 There 'd be oysters in, and sometimes laughin 
 1 On his part. 2 Seaweed. 3 Frightened. 4 Thwart.
 
 20 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 The way he was actin, but not very often, 
 For he'd turn and he'd say " That's very bad ! 
 Don't laugh ! don't laugh now ! little lad ! " 
 And you're laughin too? And it's long ago 
 Laugh ! laugh ! But I liked the Doctor though ! 
 
 Now, you'll be axin how could a man 
 
 Like him be losin himself that plan J 
 
 Sittin there in a public-house, 
 
 And drinkin, and callin that dirty trouss 2 
 
 By her name, and let his glass be fillin 
 
 At the lek of yandher, 3 and him quite willin 
 
 For them to pay ? " Aw, dear ! " says you ? 
 
 " Aw, dear ! " indeed, and very true ! 
 
 " Aw, dear ! " you says ? " Aw dear ! " says I 
 
 " The shame ! " says you, to which I rerply 
 
 "The shame!" And "drinkin" was it, you said? 
 
 Aye, and took home, and put to bed 
 
 At " the lek of yandher ! " or maybe alone 
 
 1 Way. 2 Slut. 3 By such people.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 21 
 
 Tryin, and trippin over a stone 
 
 On the shore, and lyin takin his doze, 
 
 Till the tide come floppin under his nose, 
 
 And the sniff of the water 'd waken him up. 
 
 Bless me ! hadn' the man a sup 
 
 One night in Douglas, and a book as big 
 
 As a Bible at him, and a thingummy-gig 
 
 Of a sort of a trough ! l And how did they act, 
 
 But took and tied them on to his back, 
 
 And on to the horse? and whatever it was 
 
 Whether the water or whether the grass, 
 
 Or used of 2 a mill that was up that way, 
 
 The horse took straight for the inner bay, 
 
 And him that stupid he didn' obsarv her, 
 
 And over her head and into the harver. 3 
 
 And " Murder ! " and flounderin about, 
 
 And the sentry hearin, and the guard turned out, 
 
 And fishin him up. And " He'll take his death 
 
 1 Probably an electric battery. : Because he was accustomed to. 
 3 Harbour.
 
 22 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Of could," they says. And in spite of his teeth 
 
 Off with his clothes, and rigs him straight l 
 
 In a little red jacket, and houldin a light. 
 
 And the fun them divils of souldiers had ! 
 
 And " Serjeant ! give him the shillin ! " they said. 
 
 And the Docthor quite content for all. 3 
 
 And standin, smilin, against the wall, 
 
 And his poor ould face all drabbled in tears, 
 
 And " My noble British Grenadiers ! " 
 
 He says ; says the Serjeant " A strappin recruit ! 
 
 And by jabers we'll give him a royal salute ! " 
 
 And out with the fife and out with the drum, 
 
 And " Steady ! my lads ! we'll see him home," 
 
 And caught the mare, and " 'Scuse me, your honour ! 
 
 You're a tidy weight"; and heaves him upon her; 
 
 And rub-a-dub ! rub-a-dub ! never say die ! 
 
 And the Docthor quite happy, and nice and dry ! 
 
 And over the bridge, and away they go, 
 
 With a fol-di-rol-lol-di-rol-idy-o ! 
 
 1 Immediately. 2 Notwithstanding.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 23 
 
 And away to the Lhen, and up to the door, 
 And a tantaran that was fit, for sure, 
 To waken the dead ; and the Misthress cornin 
 With a light, and the Serjeant stoppin the drum- 
 
 min, 
 And " We've brought you your husband, Missis 
 
 Bell ! " 
 
 And only her shift ; and " Very well ! " 
 Says she as aisy as aisy, and out 
 With the candle straight, 1 and used, no doubt ! 
 And " I'll remember you in my prayers," 
 Says the Docthor, sthrugglin upon the stairs, 
 And as dark as the divil ; and leavin the man, 
 Or lettin him off, you'll understand. 
 Aisy ! aye, aisy ! and used, 2 you know, 
 But a doeless sort of a woman though. 
 What for wouldn' she kick up a fuss, 
 The way that other women does, 
 Bein anyways respectable 
 
 1 Immediately. ' To such occasions.
 
 24 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 What for wouldn' she give him his fill, 
 
 Ladlin it hot ? And very right ! 
 
 Comin home that way of a night ! 
 
 But bless ye ! No ! Just " Very well ! " 
 
 That's all you'd get from Misthress Bell ! 
 
 No spirit ! Chut ! Not a bit ! Nor standin 
 
 On her right, and givin it them from the landin. 
 
 Why, there's many a woman would have up with 
 
 the sash, 
 
 And soused the lot ! a set of trash 
 Like them to be gettin it in the papers, 
 And frecknin people with their capers ! 
 No sailor wouldn' have done the lek 
 Bless your soul ! too much respec ! 
 And more till 1 one can play at that game, 
 And very apt to be took the same. 
 
 But still you'll be axin how could it be? 
 And a man like that ? Well, look here ! d'ye see, 
 1 Than.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 25 
 
 I'll tell ye now, but wait a minute ! 
 
 Fist us that bottle! Is there anything in it? 
 
 All right ! The cow must have her grass. 
 
 Now, listen ! this is the way it was. 
 
 The Docthor wasn' Manx at all, 
 
 But an Englishman; and what ye may call 
 
 'Printiced, you know, to a docthor in London, 
 
 A dandy docthor, the way there abundin l 
 
 In a place like that. Aw, terrible grand, 
 
 Buckin up to the first of the land, 
 
 Drivin about in a carriage and pair 
 
 You know the lek is at them 3 there. 
 
 And a footman, bless ye ! And off he leps, 3 
 
 And touches his hat, and rattles the steps, 
 
 And out comes the Docthor as nate as a pin, 
 
 And the cheerful it's astonishin ! 
 
 And the coat that's at him, shinin, by jing, 
 
 Like a pazon, or a raven's wing? 
 
 And how is Masther, and how is Miss ? 
 
 1 Abounding. 2 They have that sort of thing. * Leaps.
 
 26 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And slaps a guinea into his fiss, 
 
 Or maybe two, I wouldn' wonder, 
 
 But one at least ; aw, divil the under ! 
 
 And aisy earned ; and out like a shot, 
 
 And on to the rest a humbuggin lot ! 
 
 But of coorse, the quality has their way, 
 
 And must have it, and let them pay. 
 
 And them big lazy lubbers with breeches 
 
 And stockins at them.! Well, riches is riches ! 
 
 And where the carcase is, it's sayin, thither 
 
 Shall the eagles be gathered together. 
 
 Aye, that's it ! well troubles and troubles ! 
 
 That's where the Docthor got in hobbles. 1 
 
 For there was a man they were callin " Sir John " 
 
 The Dandy Docthor was docthor upon. 
 
 Aw, that was the man with the money aye ! 
 
 And a house at him, maybe ten stories high 
 
 And nothin but gool. 2 Chut! Nothin but gool, 
 
 Every chair and every stool ! 
 
 1 Difficulties. - Gold.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 27 
 
 And the cups and saucers high uncommon ! 
 
 High, aw, high ! And never no woman 
 
 For cook in the kitchen at them there, 
 
 But a sort of a divil they called mounseer 
 
 French, it's lek, and cockin his chin, 
 
 And jabberin, and jabberin. 
 
 Aw, gool wasn nothin yandharwheres 
 
 Hadn't they bank-notes in the chairs 
 
 For stuffin ? And lookin-glasses 'd 1 show 
 
 Every bit from top to toe, 
 
 And beds that was workin on a swivel ! 
 
 And pianoes ! aye, scores ! And as proud as the 
 
 divil ! 
 
 Now, the Dandy Docthor, you see, for all, 3 
 Sometimes couldn' get round on the call 
 That was after him reggilar; and so, 
 Of coorse, the young Docthor had to go. 
 And just as good, and very much lekked, 3 
 Special at 4 what they're callin the "sec" 
 
 1 That would. 2 However. 3 Liked. 4 By.
 
 28 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Manin the ladies ! and a handsome man, 
 
 And no mistake. And six foot one, 
 
 If he was an inch, and handsome still 
 
 When he was an ould man; for there's some o' 
 
 them will 
 
 Aye, wore, of coorse, but you'll notice the signs, 
 And a ship may be wrecked, but showin her lines 
 And a light in his eye, like a sweet strong juice 
 Of fire comin tricklin from a sluice 
 In his head, or his heart, or somewhere or another, 
 Strained, like enough, from the milk of his mother, 
 And kindly mixed : and very nice 
 To look upon, and the same in his vice 
 And playin the flute most beautiful, 
 In the pocket at him 1 down at the Bull, 
 Three pieces lek, and screwed with a jint, 
 And puttin his ould lips to a pint, 3 
 And tootlin away, and heisin 3 the lift 
 Of his eyes. And mayve the best of a shift 
 His. 2 Point. 3 Raising.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 29 
 
 Of miners sittin and listnin there, 
 
 And fit to cry, the sweet to hear 
 
 It was. And rough enough divils them, 
 
 But never rough, I tell ye, to him. 
 
 Aw, if the miners was there, by gough ! 
 
 You darn' spit, and you darn' cough, 
 
 Nor breathin mostly, or you'd have a fist 
 
 Down your throat middlin slippy and " hush ! '' 
 
 and "whist!" 
 
 And " aisy there ! " and " silence ! " and " shoo ! " 
 You might ha' heard a pin aw, it's true, it's true ! 
 And him an ould man, and maybe half drunk, 
 And the head that shaky, and the cheek that sunk ! 
 
 What'd he be like, then, when he was young 
 With his hair all curled, and his vice like the 
 
 bung 
 
 Of a barrel, and lookin every man 
 Straight in the face ? Aye ! what would he be 
 
 then?
 
 30 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Aw, there's no mistake ! you may put it down ! 
 
 The puttiest l man in London town ! 
 
 What did ye say ? He couldrf have been ! 
 
 In London, too, where the King and the Queen 
 
 Is livin, a.nd all the quality f 
 
 And the finest men would be sure to be 
 
 Knights, and Lords, and Ladies high, 
 
 Colonels and Dukes. To which I rerply 
 
 Who says they didn' ? Of coorse they do ! 
 
 But wasn' Docthor Bell livin there, too ? 
 
 Wasn' he ? wasn' he ? Answer me that ! 
 
 Aye, you're lookin as cross as a cat, 
 
 Are you? Well, you're ugly enough 
 
 Already ! My goodness ! he's takin the huff ! 
 
 What is he sayin? Who will he lather ! 
 
 He wouldn' stand it from his father ! 
 
 Well, I wouldn' hev a temper like yandhar fool. 
 
 Bless my heart then, let him cool ! 
 
 Deed on Bobby ! 2 don't look towards him ! 
 
 1 Prettiest. ' Bobby indeed = Poor Bobby !
 
 THE DOCTOR. yi 
 
 Huffed^ is he, eh ? And who regards him ! 
 
 No\v, listen to me ! I'll bet you a crown 
 
 He was the puttiest man in London town! 
 
 Now, I'll stand to that, now ! What's your talk ? 
 
 How am I sure ? Well, there's chaps that'll balk 
 
 The divil himself! Now, just look here! 
 
 It's aisy howin ! Aw, dear ! aw, dear ! 
 
 Hoiv. am 2 sure? To which I rerply 
 
 I happen to know it ! And " lV7w am II " 
 
 Says you. To which But, of coorse ! of coorse ! 
 
 A chap may be shoutin till he's hoorse, 
 
 And nothin but contradictin still ; 
 
 And it's very disagreeable ! 
 
 Very all along of that cur 
 
 Now, I happen to know partikkiler ! 
 
 Partikkiler ! do you understand ? 
 
 Partikkiler ! the puttiest man 
 
 In London. I happen never mind the how ! 
 
 Partikkiler aye ! where are you now ? 
 
 But avast this talk !
 
 32 THE DOCTOR, 
 
 Now, you must know 
 
 There was no house the Docthor was useder 1 to go 
 Till z to this Sir John's. And, bless me ! the 
 
 diamonds 
 They were thinkin of him ! and he " shutes my 
 
 requi'mans 3 
 To a T," says Sir John ; and " Come, man ! 
 
 come ! 
 
 Dear me ! make yourself at home ! " 
 Ailin often, or thinkin he was; 
 And maybe a little too fond of a glass. 
 So there the Docthor 'd be makin his call, 
 And liked uncommon at them all ! 
 Aw, the Docthor was this ; and the Docthor was 
 
 that! 
 
 And the very dog and the very cat 
 Was takin joy of him ; and a bird 
 They had would sing the minute he heard 
 
 1 More accustomed. ~ Than. 
 
 3 Suits my requirements.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 33 
 
 His foot. He had a way, I expec', 
 
 To hould communion with the lek. 
 
 And the sarvints ! bless ye ! The man was free ; 
 
 And the plannin and the schamin there 'd be 
 
 To get him down in the kitchen, though ; 
 
 And kind to the high, and kind to the low ; 
 
 And allis one of them bound to be poorly, 
 
 And " Would he see her ? " and " Surely ! surely / " 
 
 And any excuse just to get a look 
 
 At his handsome face. And even the cook 
 
 Would allow he was a good-lookin falla, 
 
 " Though not in my style ! " he 'd say, and as 
 
 yalla 
 
 As the yoke of an egg, and as ugly as sin, 
 And a bit of hair on the tip of his chin ; 
 And he'd have a talk with the Docthor too, 
 And jabber away with his parley-voo 
 And the Docthor givin him back as good 
 As he gave. Aw, that's the man that could, 
 French or Hebrew, Greek or Latin, 
 
 D
 
 34 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 All sorts of lingo, chittin and chattin 
 As quick, I tell ye, and wee-wee-wee ! 
 And Mossier Bell / And fiddle-de-dee ! 
 And the sarvints delighted, but wonderin still, 
 And sayin " Isn' he terrible ? " 
 But as for Sir John, from mornin to night 
 He'd never have had him out of his sight ; 
 For the Docthor was that handy about him 
 The ould chap couldn' do without him. 
 Aw, the Docthor knew the very fit 
 Of all his notions. And there he'd sit 
 And tell him all the talk o' the town, 
 And who was up and who was down, 
 And the in and the out, till at last he wrote 
 To the dandy Docthor, and bound him to 't 
 That he'd allis be sending Dr. Bell, 
 For there was nobody suitin kirn as well ; 
 And sacked the dandy. You see, at least 
 He was only gettin the name of the place 
 Head Docthor to Sir John, you know,
 
 THE DOCTOR. 35 
 
 And the money of coorse, but never to go ! 
 
 And Dr. Bell, he didn objeck, 
 
 And paid the same, but special lek 
 
 Betwix him and Sir John. Now, Sir John, it 
 
 appears, 
 
 Was a widda man 1 in the teens of years, 
 And only one child, and his heart much set 
 Upon her, by the name of Harriet 
 The only child that was at Sir John, 3 
 And just about goin on twenty-one. 
 
 Aw, that's the gel that was the pretty ! 
 
 The handsomest in London city ! 
 
 Aw, you'll take that, will ye ? Well ! well ! no 
 
 matter ! 
 
 But you'd batthar 3 eh ! it's like you'd batthar ! 
 Aye and it's middlin funny though, 
 If a man's goin a callin 4 handsome, it's no! 
 And him ! and ger 5 out ! But if contrary 
 1 Widower. s Sir John had. 3 Better. 4 Being called. 5 Get.
 
 36 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 It's a woman, aw, then you're agreeable, very ! 
 And pricks up your ears; and dear! thinks you, 
 Therms a gel in the case / and handsome too ! 
 Aw, bless me! and perfectly willin of 1 it, 
 Well natur is natur. But drov 2 it! drov it! 
 
 Now, this young gel was clever though, 
 
 As well as handsome, and lettin them know, 
 
 And a bit of a scutcher, 3 and orderin, 
 
 And every place as nate as a pin, 
 
 And couldn' stand no huggermugger 
 
 About, and sarvin the tea and the sugar ; 
 
 And weighin the mutton, and weighin the beef, 
 
 And wouldn' have no dirty ould thief 
 
 Of a housekeeper or whatever they call them 
 
 Betwix her and the sarvints, but would overhaul 
 
 them 
 
 Herself like the mischief; and a book, and settin 
 What was she givin and what was she gettin ; 
 1 Admitting. 2 Drop. 3 Notable body.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 37 
 
 Aw, strict, I tell ye, but terrible good 
 
 And righteous lek. Aw, the grand ould blood 
 
 That was in her, makin every limb 
 
 So sweet and so true that she looked to swim 
 
 In a light of glory and loveliness, 
 
 All about her, and fillin the place 
 
 With the right sort of spirit wherever she'd be 
 
 And a sweet-smellin savour of honesty ! 
 
 And for all the l strict, they were lovin her 
 
 You wouldn' believe ! aw, deed they were. 
 
 Happy and holy and undefiled, 
 
 And twenty-one ! aw, bless the child 1 
 
 And terrible dutiful to the father, 
 
 But quite ; 2 and freckend 3 of him rather. 
 
 And him as proud as proud could be 
 
 Of her ; but a rough ould chap, ye see, 
 
 And of coorse he'd seen a deal of life 
 
 And wickedness, and lost the wife, 
 
 A middle-aged man, and took his fill 
 
 i Notwithstanding she was so. 3 Quiet. 3 Afraid.
 
 38 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 O' the lek, and chewin the cud of it still, 
 
 And svvearin for he couldn' do more 
 
 Till l chewin the cud. Aw, hard at the core, 
 
 And full of the world and the things of the world ; 
 
 And nothin in him for the child to curl 
 
 Her soul around. Aw, a divil ! it's true : 
 
 And rather a dirty ould divil too. 
 
 And not much truck 3 between the pair, 
 
 But dutiful, dutiful, reggilar. 
 
 It was the Docthor that he was takin to, 
 
 For of coorse the Docthor was bound to know 
 
 About all the divilment that was in, 3 
 
 And this and that, and a heap of sin, 
 
 And all the rigs, and the crops, and the weather, 
 
 And who and who was goin together, 
 
 And all the bag o' lies ould Nick 
 
 Shakes out every mornin for his childer to pick. 
 
 But I tell ye the Docthor shouldn' ha' done it, 
 
 And hard to stop the once he begun it 
 
 * Than. 2 Intercommunication. 3 There was.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 39 
 
 Aw, very wrong and foolish it was, 
 
 And comin home to him at las'. 
 
 But the Docthor ! the Docthor ! the Docthor still 
 
 At Sir John. 1 And the 'tention and the skill, 
 
 A miracle ! a miracle I 
 
 He was swearin the way he'd fixed his gout 
 
 And " Chut ! " he'd say ; " what are you talkin 
 
 about?" 
 
 He says, "I've took him by the hand," 
 He says, "and by gough I'll make him a man." 
 "Yes," he says, "he's safe," he says, 
 " He's all right, I tell ye ; the very first place 
 In this counthry," he says, "is the place for him," 
 And no mistake but he'd have that same ! 
 And where he'd spake for him, and what would he 
 
 do 
 
 And the cusses flying like Waterloo 
 And " a divilish willin chap ; and a wag," 
 And "game," he'd say. Aw, the terrible brag 
 1 The subject of Sir John's conversation.
 
 40 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 He was takin out 1 of the Docthor! "by gorrum !" 
 He says, " the King '11 be sendin for him." 
 And "the useful! the useful! you couldn' tell!" 
 And nobody like Docthor Bell. 
 
 And that was true ! It's useful he was, 
 For whether a dog, or whether a hoss, 
 Or a man, or a maid, or an ox, or an ass, 
 Or everythin that is his mind you ! 
 The Docthor could tell the very screw; 
 Aw, fix it to a dot he could 
 To a dot, I tell ye ; and understood 
 All about lawin and every spree, 
 And leasin lek, and proppity. 
 Aw, useful ! bless ye ! there's no know'n ! 
 And handy uncommon, whatever was goin 
 Big parties and that ; and tasty show 2 
 With the flowers, and decoratin you know 
 And managin, and who to ax, 
 
 1 To take brag out of=To brag about, praise. - Very.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 41 
 
 And a hammer at him, and a paper of tacks, 
 
 And fixin. And all the servants delighted 
 
 And rtinnin. And pounds of candles lighted 
 
 Bless ye ! all the house in a blaze, 
 
 And the Docthor knowin all the ways; 
 
 And how should it be, and when to begin, 
 
 And mind) now ! mind ! and orderin, 
 
 And well acquent with all the stars, 
 
 Sthroullers lek, musicianers 
 
 Punch and Judy divils chaps 
 
 That's glad to come for the bits and the scraps ! 
 
 And dangerous to get drunk though, very, 
 
 Gin or brandy, port or sherry 
 
 All as one; 1 and hardly seein 
 
 The book afore them, and tweedledeein 
 
 Like mad, tell they cannot tweedle no more, 
 
 And goin a puttin 2 to the door, 
 
 And collared at 3 the police, never fear ! 
 
 Aw, dozens of fiddles ! aye, dozens there ! 
 
 1 All one to them. 2 Being put. 3 By.
 
 42 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Coin like the deuce, and rub-a-dub-dub 
 Tramhurns J and things. Aw, just like a club ! 
 Jinglin-janglin enough to have stunned ye, 
 Just like a club o' Easter Monday ; 
 And the Pazon goin in the front, and struts out 
 Like a cock, and the band a blowin their guts 
 out. 
 
 Now, Sir John was ould, but he was fond 
 Of company was ould Sir John 
 Aye and glad if a body would take 
 The trouble of shuperintendin the lek 
 And nothin to do but to look as big 
 And as grand as he could ; and a beautiful wig 
 Made fast that never no body could pint 
 Azackly 2 the place he had the jint. 
 And a noddin here, and a gruntin there, 
 And backin and gettin into a chair, 
 A' purpose for him. And cards, and a set 
 1 Trombones. 2 Exactly.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 43 
 
 Of ould chaps like hisself ; and they'd dale and 
 
 they'd bet, 
 
 And they'd cuss very comnbil and keep 
 At the cards till the lot o' them went to sleep ! 
 And Docthor Bell of coorse head man. 
 
 And so you'll aisy understan' 
 
 How it happened betwix them two 
 
 The young missis, I mane, and the way they grew 
 
 Very thick, and much together. 
 
 And that's the way, you see, you'll sleddher 1 
 
 Unknownced, and slip and slip again, 
 
 Till over you go, and it's love that's in ! 2 
 
 Head over ears the way they're sayin, 
 
 But gradjal ! gradjal ! 3 for love will be playin 
 
 A terrible long game sometimes 
 
 Aw, 'deed he will ! and the divil climbs 
 
 Inch by inch, but he climbs, for all ; 4 
 
 1 Slide unconsciously. 2 That is there. 
 
 8 Gradually. * Notwithstanding.
 
 44 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And let your main royal be ever so tall, 
 
 It's him that'll stand upon the truck. 
 
 And down with your colours ! By gough ! you're 
 
 took! 
 
 Down with your colours ! down ! I say 
 Aw, you're a fair prize, anyway ! 
 The little monkey with his bow and arris, 
 Lek he'd be afthar shootin sparris 
 You've seen in the valentines, small but spunky ! 
 Aw, the little monkey ! the little monkey ! 
 He'll do it, he will; aw, there's not much doubt 
 He'll do your bizness. Chut ! get out ! 
 Bless ye ! how could they manage it 
 That it wouldn' be, and her to sit 
 At a little bit of a table there, 
 And him a standin behind her chair, 
 And her to be calkerlatin lek, 
 And him to prove it all correct ! 
 And if she looked up now, what would she see 
 But a man that was made as a man should be?
 
 THE DOCTOR. 45 
 
 And if he looked down, what was the sight? 
 A woman as beautiful as the light ! 
 And her lookin up, and him lookin down, 
 Is the way it was mos'ly, 1 I'll be bound ! 
 
 Nor it isn' natheral, I'll assure ye, 
 
 To be allis lookin straight before ye ! 
 
 And aisy talkin but, listen to me ! 
 
 How would it be now ? how would it be ? 
 
 The lovely scent comin off her hair, 
 
 And the curly rings, and the neck all bare, 
 
 Excep' a little thread or so 
 
 Stragglin, lek not knowin where to go ! 
 
 And, aw, the beautiful divide 
 
 Tha'd 2 be there the white ! and the purified ! 
 
 And the tips of her ears. They're soft little things 1 
 
 Is them, like indiarubber springs 
 
 Nice uncommon to feel. Hurroo ! 
 
 I'm off my coorse ! This'll never do ! 
 
 1 Mostly, generally. 2 That would.
 
 46 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 You're laughin, Bobby ? Aw, he has me ! 
 
 The stuff I'm talkin though, God bless me ! 
 
 But still now mos'ly it's hard to tell 
 
 But a boy is a boy and a gel is a gel ; 
 
 And put together lek that way, 
 
 And their breaths goin mixin like the hay 
 
 Of a sultry everin, 1 and near 
 
 Enough to one another to hear 
 
 The come and the go, and the click o' the heart ; 
 
 And now and then a little start, , 
 
 And a catch on the cogs, and houldin in 
 
 Aw, it'll cook your goose astonishin ! 
 
 And bad enough in the town, but wuss 
 When ould Sir John gave a rattlin cuss, 
 And it's on to the country, at your sarvis ! 
 The Docthor must come with him for harvis ! 
 Such times the shootin would be goin, 
 And horses to ride, and boats either rowin 
 
 i Evening.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 47 
 
 Or sailin, and fishin. Aw, ye never seen ! 
 
 A mortal grand place it must have been. 
 
 Aw, that's what done it altogether 
 
 Betwix them two. And no talk o' the father, 
 
 Nor the how, nor the when, but married they'd be 
 
 Some time or other ma chree ! l ma chree 1 
 
 Aye, that's the very way it is 
 
 A kind of a sort of drunkenness. 
 
 I'm told she was proud, too, all the same; 
 
 And they're hard to fall in love is them, 
 
 But fell 2 chut ! bless ye ! there's nothin lek them ! 
 
 No ! for you'll neither bend nor brek 3 them ! 
 
 For pride is hard and love is soff 4 
 
 But the two together that's the stuff! 
 
 Harder till 5 hard ! the way they're mixin 
 
 Two metals in one for the hard, 6 or fixin 
 
 The die, very slow in the soak, 7 mind you ! 
 
 1 My heart. 2 Once they have fallen. 3 Break. 
 
 4 Soft. 5 Than. 6 Hardness. 7 Soaking.
 
 45 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 But takin the colour through and through ! 
 
 Takin -aye ! aw, long in the steepin 
 
 Takin aye ! takin and keepin ! 
 
 And didn' they ax the father ? No ! 
 
 Certainly not ! A rum sort of go 
 
 To be axin him ! What for ? My conscience ! 
 
 What for ? Now really ! What sort o' nonsense 
 
 Is that to be axin ! Says you, What for ? 
 
 Says I, because they didn' dar ! l 
 
 Dar, says you. Yes ! dar, says I ! 
 
 They should, says you. To which I rerply 
 
 Certainly not ! Now, then, go on ! 
 
 Certainly not ! Aw, I see you're done ! 
 
 Very well, then done it is 
 
 Interruptin ! Idikkiliss ! 
 
 The reason they darn ? Well, wait a spell 
 
 And you'll hear the reason. Waitin's well. 
 
 Aye, indeed ! Now, the counthry air 
 
 Is terrible for love, I'll swear 
 
 1 Dare. 2 Ridiculous.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 49 
 
 Terrible to make it grow, 
 And take a root, and blossom and blow 
 Like the roses, and all the flowers. The lek 
 Isn' in towns, and you can't expeck. 
 For people is lovin in towns of coorse, 
 But it isn' the deep, and it hav'n' the force, 
 Nor wholesome lek, and sweet, the way 
 It is in the counthry, with cows and hay, 
 And all to 1 that; but a sort of a bother, 
 And a aggravatin one another, 
 Or makin believe ; and a hum and a huff, 
 And none o' the juice o' the rael stuff 
 Somethin like the milk they've got, 
 Half of it water. And whether or not, 
 No light in the sky, no bird on the wing, 
 A sort of a dirty gasey thing ! 
 Isn' the air all rotten ? Yes ! 
 And lovin the same that's the way it is. 
 That's the way in the towns, you see; 
 1 All the rest of it. 
 
 E
 
 50 THE DOCTOR, 
 
 But the country aw, dear o' me ! 
 
 Well, back to the town, though ; back to the town 
 And it's lek enough it's there they foun' 
 The differ, 1 but takin it with them eh? 
 Aw, come out o' that ! What do you say? 
 Apt to be foolish 1 That's allowed ! 
 But aisy ! aisy ! the both o' them proud, 
 Proud of each other, and very plaised 
 The love was at them ; 2 that's what aised 
 Their hearts uncommon, thinkin what? 
 Thinkin they were chised, 3 lek, from the lot 
 Chised complete ; and never no man 
 Nor woman, I tell ye, but the one 
 
 Just the one ; and then No matthar ! 
 
 Give it up ! the wuss, or the batthar 
 Just the one ! Aw, that's the style ; 
 For love is straight 4 like a little child : 
 You loves me, and I loves you; 
 1 Difference. 2 They had the love. 3 Chosen. * Just.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 So what are you wantin us to do ? 
 
 Spake to the father ? Go to pot ! 
 
 Certainly not ! certainly not ! 
 
 No, no ! Bless your soul ! fair play ! 
 
 Time enough for that, thinks they; 
 
 Or never didn' think nothin about it; 
 
 Never axed, and never doublet 
 
 Some way, some day. The world is wide, 
 
 And driftin, driftin with the tide. 
 
 And driftin is very pleasant, too, 
 
 When the sea is calm and the sky is blue, 
 
 And you've got the littlest taste of a breeze, 
 
 Just enough to make a baby sneeze; 
 
 And your head on your arms, and your feet on a 
 
 taff, 1 
 
 And nothin drawin, fore or aft 
 Chut ! as happy as Nicodemus, 
 And knowin you're out of the track o' the 
 
 staemers ; 
 
 i Thwart.
 
 52 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And maybe a bee comin bummin by, 
 
 As if he was in the notion to fly 
 
 Far, far away, where there's brighter flowers 
 
 And sweeter honey, he's thinkin, than ours 
 
 Or a bit o' thistle-wool comin skippin 
 
 Head over heels; or oars a dippin 
 
 Out on the Trunk, 1 and all the nisin 2 
 
 O' the land goin into one, surprisin 
 
 Dogs and cows lek a sort of confusick, 3 
 
 Makin a wonderful mixthur o' musick; 
 
 And the very land itself'll go 
 
 Like an urgan 4 playin, soft and low ! 
 
 Bless me ! where am I now ? A calm ! 
 And driftin! 'Deed, I think I am. 
 But driftin, if it's driftin your for, 
 Two together there you are 
 That's the sort ! No need to rest 
 
 1 A famous fishing ground. 2 Noise. 
 
 3 Confusion. 4 Organ.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 53 
 
 Your head on your arms when a lovin breast 
 
 Is ready to take it. Rest it there ! 
 
 And driff driff driff, then, God knows where ! 
 
 Aye, but that's it, for the man would be clever 
 
 That'd go on driftin and driftin for ever. 
 
 No ! it must come to an end at last, 
 
 And it doesn matter the slow or the fast, 
 
 Settin in on a point, or takin you aff, 1 
 
 Nor how's your sheets, or what's your draff 3 
 
 It's up like a shot ! and pull man, pull ! 
 
 Backards is backards, says Bobby the Bull. 
 
 But it soon came out in London for all, 
 The very next winter a terrible ball 
 They were hav'n, lek maybe thousands there, 
 And the jingin and shovin, just like a fair. 
 And the Docthor not very careful though, 
 But took the fancy, and off he must go 
 Lonesome lek, whatever he had, 
 
 1 Off. 2 Draught.
 
 54 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And lavin the quality at it like mad, 
 
 And into the 'sarvatory, a place 
 
 Built on to the house, in a sort of a cess ] 
 
 They're keepin feerins 2 there, and the lek of them. 
 
 And glass you know, and a sort of a frame 
 
 Cucumbars ? Well, you're makin me laugh ! 
 
 Cucumbars ! What are you thinking of? 
 
 No ! but a house as big as a shop, 
 
 And flowers goin twistin over the top 
 
 Inside and out ; and no dung nor beddin, 
 
 The way with cucumbars ; and spreddin 
 
 Roundy lek, and glass, I stated, 
 
 And most magnificent titervated. 
 
 So that's the place where the Docthor came in, 
 Just soulerjin 3 about, in saemin;* 
 And rather dark in there, I'm tould, 
 And nice and fresh, and a sort of a bowl, 
 
 1 Recess. 2 Ferns. 8 Soldiering, lounging. 
 
 4 Seemingly.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 55 
 
 And a spoot 1 goin skutin the water up, 
 
 Only just a little sup, 
 
 But givin a very pleasant sound, 
 
 Skutin and drippin all around. 
 
 Aw, a fuss-rate place ! But it's lek I needn' 
 
 Be tellin you what was the Docthor heedin 
 
 Aye, aye ! You're right. Of course she was 
 
 And a lad is a lad, and a lass is a lass 
 
 Swells ? yes ! yes ! but the proud white neck 
 
 Stooped, and all of a trimble lek, 
 
 Stooped though, stooped ! Aw, never fear ! 
 
 Much the same, from what I hear 
 
 And no mistake ! the ould, ould story ! 
 
 And "Honey-soap!" 2 says Queen Victory. 
 
 Now, this dandy docthor I was talkin about 
 
 Was jealous of Docthor Bell, no doubt 
 
 Mortal ! 3 And no wondher, you'll say, 
 
 Bein put out of the berth that way; 
 
 And watchin, watchin, like a cat, 
 
 1 Spout. Honi soit, etc. 3 Desperately.
 
 56 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And eyein his chance aw, mind you that ! 
 And there that night, and took up a pogician, 
 As the bobby said, like a fellow fishin, 
 And calkerlatin, and dancin the fly, 
 And fish about, but rather shy 
 Just like I heard a preacher tell 
 The divil is fishin in the dubs of hell 
 Watchin ! the dirty thing ! And took 
 The advantage of them two ! Worse luck ! 
 And crep', and crep', and saw them together, 
 And the kisses goin, and envyin rather, 
 Aw, envyin, by gough ! And away 
 To ould Sir John, which was hard at the play, 
 And somethin partickler, and wasn' able 
 fust there, and got him from the table, 
 Swearin, though ; and faith ! he tould him. 
 Aw, then, the job was how to hould him ! 
 And jumps like a lion shot at the hunter, 
 And "Whol" and "Whatl" and he'd go and 
 affront her
 
 THE DOCTOR. 57 
 
 Confront is it ? All as one l 
 
 And "Make love to my daughter!" says Sir John, 
 
 " Make love to my daughter ! " And like to bust, 
 
 And the mad he clane forgot to cuss. 
 
 And the people begun to stare. But the dandy 
 
 Took him away, though, very handy, 
 
 And into the 'sarvatory another road, 
 
 And coaxin him, for the love of God, 
 
 To keep quite. 2 And "Be carm, 3 Sir John, be 
 
 carm ! " 
 
 And scrunchin the teeth, and just like barm 
 Foamin ! And her, he was sayin, her ! 
 And, then " Look there, Sir John, look there ! " 
 Look there, indeed ! Aw, the close ! the close ! 
 And the four lips makin the one red rose 
 Somethin worth lookin at, I'll swear ! 
 Aw, a beautiful pair ! a beautiful pair ! 
 " Rascal ! scoundrel ! villain ! thief ! " 
 Aw, the rose was broke aw, every leaf! 
 
 1 All the same. 2 Quiet. a Calm.
 
 $8 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 " Come out of that ! " he says, and the string 
 
 Of his tongue was unloosed, and then full swing 
 
 The cusses come rollin fair and free. 
 
 And, " Is this your gratitude to me ! 
 
 And you ! Miss Madam ! you ! you ! you ! " 
 
 He was chokin lek ; but the poor girl flew 
 
 Like a freckened bird, and in on the door 
 
 The little one, I tould you afore 
 
 And the dandy he got behind it, the way 
 
 She wouldn' see him ! Aw, as good as a play ! 
 
 But she did, and she gave him a look for all l 
 
 That was fit to pin him against the wall. 
 
 And he bowed very low, the sliddherin snake 
 
 A dirty divil, and no mistake ! 
 
 And what did the Docthor do? What could he? 
 Answer him ? Chut ! It was well he kept studdy/ 
 Aw, very studdy, and takin his part, 
 But studdy, except he gave a start 
 
 1 However. 2 Steady.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 59 
 
 At something that the ould man said 
 
 About the young lady. Aw, then the head 
 
 Went up, and the eye was brought to the level, 
 
 And bedad the ould man had to be civil 
 
 For a bit, and backed, you see the freckened 
 
 He was rather further till 1 he reckoned 
 
 And over a tub, and tripped, and comin 
 
 Against a image of a woman 
 
 That was there, and shook, and threw on the 
 
 ground, 
 
 And broke ; and maybe a hundred pound ! 
 And black in the face, and the cusses as hot 
 As brimstone boilin out of the throat 
 And the company comin runnin in, 
 And all the row and all the din 
 And gettin to know, and glasses cockin, 
 And " Oh ! " says the ladies, " Oh ! how shockin ! " 
 And drawin a one side, as if they meant 
 The Docthor to go. So the Docthor went. 
 1 Than.
 
 60 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Then says an ould chap and he gave a cuss 
 " A strappin young fellow ! She might have done 
 wuss ! " 
 
 And what to do ? Aw, bless your soul ! 
 
 How would / know ? Only I'm tould 
 
 The same man fought the battle well, 
 
 Aw, it's the rael stuff was Docthor Bell. 
 
 And up to the house the very next mornin, 
 
 And day after day, and the sarvints warnin, 
 
 If they'd spake tp him, and he would see Sir 
 
 John 
 
 Yes ! he would, and he should see Sir John ! 
 And all very well if he could see Sir John ! 
 But the most o' the ould sarvints was forced to go, 
 Takin his part, o' coorse, you know. 
 'Deed I believe the lot o' them had 
 To leave, excep' Mounseer, and a lad 
 That was at them 1 there they were callin James 
 1 They had.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 61 
 
 You're wonderin I remember the names? 
 Aye ! lek enough ! But James and me 
 Was well acquent. So let that be. 
 
 Day after day, day after day 
 
 Aw, it was a pity of him, any way ! 
 
 Pity enough ! And never no chance 
 
 To get speech with Sir John aw, divil the once ! 
 
 And letters ! letters ! Lave him alone ! 
 
 And her of coorse never gettin none ! 
 
 And tould at last at 1 a big new flunkey 
 
 To cut his stick, and rizzed his monkey, 
 
 And ups with his fist and knocks him down, 
 
 And nabbed at 1 the bobbies, and took and bound 
 
 To keep the peace, the way the law says 
 
 And this and that and five shillin and cosses. 2 
 
 That's what they're callin justice, by jing ! 
 
 Justice ! There isn' no such thing ! 
 
 Not for the poor man ! no there isn' ! 
 
 1 By. 2 Costs.
 
 62 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Down with the dibs, or go to prison ! 
 
 That's the justice ! Aw, the beauties ! 
 
 A executin of their duties ! 
 
 " Empty puss nothin does ! 
 
 Full bags nice nags 
 
 Money is honey my little sonny ! 
 
 And a rich man's joke is allis funny ! " 
 
 Eh? That's it " I'm not able to pay't," 
 
 Says you. " You scandalous runnagate ! " 
 
 Says he ; " you notorious vagabone ! 
 
 You thief ! aye, murderer ! There's no knowin ! 
 
 You desperate ruffian," he says, " how dare ye ? 
 
 You're a case for pity are ye? 
 
 Remove him, jailer ! " he says, and screws 
 
 His mouth like a vice ; but what's the use ? 
 
 Jingle the shiners " Stop ! stop ! stop ! 
 
 Jailer ! I think we may adop' 
 
 A differin coorse. I think we can, 
 
 Jailer," he says, "with this gentleman" 
 
 Pay them ! pay the very last fardin !
 
 THE DOCTOR. 63 
 
 And, "Raelly, sir!" and "I ask your pardon!" 
 
 Justice I Is it justice ! Blow them ! 
 
 Tustice I Aw, by gough ! I know them 
 
 And should. Why, wasn I took at 1 them there 
 
 In Liverpool? And strapt on a bier, 
 
 And away at 2 them. And all I done 
 
 Was kicked in a window, bein full o' fun 
 
 And divilment, and noways drunk, d'ye see; 
 
 But just a sup. And fond of a spree 
 
 Them times and strapped I (just a taste o' gin!) 
 
 Like a dead man goin a buryin 
 
 And in in the dark, and goin a pitchin 3 
 
 On the floor in a sort of divil's kitchen. 
 
 And the stink there was there ! And the dirty lot 
 
 And never a window, and as hot as hot ! 
 
 Says I, " I'm respectable connecket." 
 
 Says they, "You look uncommon lek it;" 
 
 And shuts the door, and turns the key 
 
 1 By. 8 With. 3 Getting thrown.
 
 64 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And them dirty bruteses scratchin away 
 You'd think they were in a meadow mowin, 
 The reglar and complete they were goin ! 
 
 Well, I never thought much of Harry Cowle 
 
 Since that very day; and, upon my sowl, 
 
 A man should stick to a friend, he should 
 
 But out of the way the fast he could, 
 
 Makin tracks, like a haythen nigger 
 
 The coward ! And big ! aye, couldn' be bigger ! 
 
 And strong. And lavin me alone 
 
 To tackle the lot ! Aw, bone to bone 
 
 And flesh to flesh for ever, I say. 
 
 Stand by your mates ! and fire away ! 
 
 Why, bless your life ! if yandher fool 
 Had ha' stood, it isn in Liverpool 
 They'd ha' got the twenty men 'd ha' l took us ! 
 But never mind! that's the way the luck is. 
 1 Men that would have taken.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 6? 
 
 And, by gough, it's a comfort all the same 
 I made a picther o' two o' them 
 And havin no money, the case was clear 
 Two months of coorse ! Aw, never fear ! 
 
 Chut! Where am I ? Alow or alof? 
 
 This James, the lad I was tellin you of 
 
 Terrible fond o' the Docthor, you know, 
 
 Got out one day, I tell you though, 
 
 And bein up to all sorts o' dodgin, 
 
 Come unknownced to the Docthor's lodgin, 
 
 And tould him Miss Harriet was sent 
 
 To a place they calls the " Continent." 
 
 So what does the Docthor do but starts 
 
 The very nex' day for them foreign parts 
 
 I don't know what country, but middlin far 
 
 About the places they've got the war, 
 
 I'm thinkin. But of coorse he was much behind 
 
 her, 
 And hadn' no track, and couldn' find her. 
 
 F
 
 66 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 But wandered up and down the land, 
 
 Till the money was gone, you'll understand. 
 
 And gettin very poor and shabby, 
 
 And atin little, and as weak as a babby. 
 
 And home at last, and nearly dyin ; . 
 
 And James to see him, and bust a cryin 
 
 Aw, bad. And one of these docthor chaps 
 
 That'd nuss a elephant on their laps, 
 
 If he was sick, a reglar limb, 
 
 You know, but kind and fond of him 
 
 Well, this young divil took him in hand, 
 
 And stuck to him though, and nussed him grand, 
 
 Till at last the Docthor was fit for the road. 
 
 And that's the time he came to Bigode. 
 
 It's a farm that's pretty well up on the moun- 
 tain ; 
 
 And lonely ! Aw, there's no accountin ; 
 But sick, it's lek, at the heart, and needin 
 A dale o' peace, like a sort o' feedin,
 
 THE DOCTOR. 67 
 
 You know ; and glad to be out of Anglan, 1 
 
 For what is there there but wranglin and janglin, 
 
 And hurry and scurry, and never allowed 
 
 To take your time. And all the crowd, 
 
 And go it, cripples I and the people hard, 
 
 And out of my road ! and doesn' regard 
 
 If you're limpin or laughin ! Aw, very rough, 
 
 And savage though ; aye, savage enough 
 
 And uplifted 2 scandalous, 3 and settin their face 
 
 Like a flint. Aw, bless ye ! it isn' a place 
 
 At all ! I wouldn' give it the name 
 
 Of a Christian country. Well, he came 
 
 To the Bigode for all, and Bigode is near 
 
 Nor'-east from the Lhen, and a step to be there 
 
 About a two mile at any rate 
 
 A little house, but rather nate, 
 
 And a terrible prospect of the say, 
 
 And mountains stretchin, right away 
 
 East and west, and a gill 4 goin slantin 
 
 1 England. 2 Proud. 8 Excessively. 4 Glen.
 
 68 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 In front, and a little bit of a plantin ; 
 And situated very purty l 
 About twenty acre, or from that to thirty ; 
 Middlin land, and a river for sure, 3 
 Very nice, and trouts thallure. 3 
 
 Well, it's there the Doctor come to stay, 
 
 And nobody knowin, I've heard them say, 
 
 Who was he, or what ? Just a gentleman 
 
 In hiddlins 4 lek the way they ran 
 
 Common enough them times over there, 
 
 And mostly heavy on the beer. 
 
 The Bigode's ones 5 was very fond of such 
 
 It's lek not givin trouble much 
 
 Aw, 'deed, the mistress would ax like a shot 
 
 Were they drinkin, or were they not? 
 
 And if so be they wasn' drinkin, 
 
 "You'll 'scuse me, sir," she'd say, "I'm thinkin 
 
 1 Prettily. 2 Indeed. 3 Enough. 
 
 1 Hiding, under a cloud. 5 People.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 69 
 
 We'll hardly shuit," she says, says she, 
 "We'll hardly shuit." Aw, fond of a spree 
 Was the thing for her; but a dacent woman, 
 Mind you, and stuck to the house uncommon. 
 But never axed the Docthor still, 
 Lookin that down and miser'ble, 
 And broke to pieces, lek it would be 
 A fine man fell in ruins, you see 
 The way they are. And of coorse all right, 
 Thinks the woman ; and no appetite 
 To spake of. What? aw, right enough ! 
 But wondhrin where he had the stuff, 
 And whenever in the world was he goin to begin 
 Wondherin, and wondherin ! 
 And sometimes she'd think he had a way 
 Of a little stagger at him eh ? 
 Or a look of the eye, resemblin drink, 
 And very promisin, she'd think 
 And she'd smile very nice, and pretend to smell 
 it
 
 70 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Aw, bless ye ! I've heard my father tell it 
 
 (The ould man would laugh !), and sniffin and 
 
 snuffin 
 
 As if she felt it reglar puffin 
 
 In her face. And, "Aw, Misther Bell! aw, 'deed! 
 It's the throuble," she'd say, " And no doubt 
 
 you've need 
 
 Of a little comfort ! Yes yes yes ! 
 A little comfort, and a comfort it is 
 Aw, general allowed ! Aw, well ! 
 Don't regard for me, Misther Bell ! 
 Its only too glad I am to see 
 And " a fiddle-de-diddle-de-diddle-de-dee ! 
 
 And the Docthor, havin a little chaff 1 
 
 And searched the bed, and searched the laff 2 
 
 To see where was the bottle arrim, 3 j 
 
 Aye, and every place on the farm, 
 
 And the haggart, 4 and pokin every stack, 
 
 1 Fun. 2 Loft. 3 At him, with him. 4 Stackyard.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 71 
 
 Fancyin she was seein somethin black; 
 
 And that curious lek she couldn helf, 1 
 
 Lek playin But-thorrin 2 with herself. 
 
 But no signs of drinkin, bless ye ! none 
 
 Just wantin to be left alone ! 
 
 Not but what he was kind, I believe, 
 
 Though of coorse he hadn' much to give ; 
 
 But gave it hearty. Aw, very nice, 
 
 And allis had a beautiful vice 
 
 And the flutin, you know; and 'd sit at the door, 
 
 And play till you'd hear him at the shore, 
 
 Or out on the mountain, he didn' care, 
 
 On a big grey stone that was used to be there, 
 
 And the very sheep lookin up at him though, 
 
 He was blawin through it that strong, you know, 
 
 But the pigs, o' coorse, 'd go on with their rootin ! 
 
 Aw, flootin terrible, terrible flootin ! 
 
 And all the ould tunes he had them as plain 
 
 1 Help. 
 
 2 Hide and seek, played round the stacks.
 
 72 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 " Kirree fosh niaghty," 1 and " Molly Charane," l 
 
 And " Hop-tchu-naa," l and " Bonny Dhoon " 
 
 Chut ! every tune, every tune ! 
 
 And that aisy plaised that Misthress Kelly 
 
 Was used to say the man was raelly 
 
 As good as if he was drinkin hard, 
 
 And terrible useful in the yard, 
 
 Puttin out dung, you know, and that, 
 
 And "no more trouble till an ould Tom Cat," 
 
 She said, " and not noticed in the house ; 
 
 And mind the childher, or herd the cows, 
 
 Or anythin." And never knowin 
 
 He was one of the cleverest doctors goin 
 
 Nor nothin about him better nor wuss 
 
 In hiddlins, you know, in hiddlins jus'. 2 
 
 Aye ! and made some fishin gear, 
 
 And agate of the troutses, never fear ! 
 
 And dozens. And had them for his tay ! 
 
 And dirty little things any way ! 
 
 1 Well-known Manx airs. 2 Just.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 73 
 
 I never could understand the raison 
 
 The quality likes them. It's amazin ! 
 
 But o' coorse ! o' coorse ! And catchin them 
 
 Theirselves, you know, and just the same, 
 
 Bait theirselves, and a sort of a newance, 1 you see. 
 
 But they're very strange is the quality. 
 
 And never much upon the shore 
 
 Them times at all, and very wore 
 
 And treigh, 2 they were sayin, and fonder of roddin 
 
 Till 3 lines, but smilin lek, and noddin, 
 
 Whenever he was meetin the men 
 
 Gettin water, you know, at the mouth of the glen 
 
 Beautiful water it was and passin 
 
 The time o' day, and maybe as'in 4 
 
 About the boats ; and givin a tune 
 
 With the flute ; but goin very soon ; 
 
 And the fishermen standin and waitin still, 
 
 And wantin to know him terrible ! 
 
 1 Novelty. 2 Sad. 3 Than. 4 Asking.
 
 74 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Aw, the casks would be wonderful long a fillin, 
 
 And nudgin each other to ax was he willin 
 
 To try a cruise; but they didn' dare 
 
 Shy lek that's the way they are 
 
 With strangers, you know ; but hopin for all 
 
 The man'd come to, and the slow they'd haul 
 
 The painter aboard, and shovin off, 
 
 And showin how they could handle their craft 
 
 And terrible curious to know 
 
 Was he lookin, and turnin, and keekin, 1 though, 
 
 Now and then, and longin aye ! 
 
 But not pretendin. Aw, very shy ! 
 
 For that's the way the fishermen's allis 
 
 Uncommon fond of strangers, and jallis 2 
 
 Of one another, and never the fuss 
 
 To make friends afore they'd make friends with 
 
 us 
 And likin a man that's big and tall, 
 
 1 Peeping. Jealous.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 75 
 
 And one that's handsome and sorrowful 
 And knowin directly like a shot, 
 Is he a gentleman or not. 
 Hiddlins / Aye ! but aisy to know them, 
 And likin such, and stickin to them. 
 But the Docthor wouldn' often stay 
 To look, but up with the rod and away, 
 And in on the bushes, and takin the road 
 Past the Brew, and up to Bigode 
 And disappointed, and out to the Head 
 To see could they get the Pazon instead. 
 That was the way, I've heard them tell; 
 But at last they got to know him well 
 
 Aw, well ! for behould ye ! the cholera came 
 To the shore, and then it was just the same 
 Lek it's in the Bible when the Prophet was tould 
 That time at 1 the Lord to be very bould, 
 And not to be hidin in yandher place 
 A By.
 
 76 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And booin, 1 like a sort o' disgrace 
 
 To a prophet, you know, the lek would be 
 
 But, " Go down and spake to them ! " says He 
 
 " Go down and spake to them, you bough ! " 2 
 
 And that's the thing he done, by gough ! 
 
 Aw, 'deed he did and that's the word 
 
 That come to the Doctor. Yes ! the Lord 
 
 I do believe it was Him that spoke 
 
 That very word, and took and shook 
 
 The man in his soul the way he'd say 
 
 " Go down and spake to this cholera ! " 
 
 And he spoke to it, he did. Aw, the man 
 
 Was bould and brave, and he spoke to it grand- 
 
 Never was such a Docthor seen ! 
 
 Never ! no never ! and couldn' have been. 
 
 But the sickness was bad, I've heard them sayin, 
 And people goin out to the rocks and prayin, 
 Kneelin in lochans, 3 or anywhere. 
 
 1 Crying. 2 Poor (creature). 3 Pools of salt water.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 77 
 
 And all the good sucked out of the air. 
 Aw, bad ! very bad ! uncommon though 
 Black and stinkin ! that's the go 
 In an hour, or maybe only a hafe, 1 
 And coffined, and tuk and put in your grave 
 That very night ; and lurches blazin 
 Like the luggers shows in the herrin saison 
 Only of coorse made slow to burn 
 And everybody waitin their turn 
 Who'd be next. And a man 'd come in 
 From the grounds 2 very slack, and droppin the chin ; 
 And the foot would be heavy arrim 3 lek, 
 Gettin out o' the boat and what to expec' ! 
 And he'd sit a bit on the gunwhale, you know, 
 And then he'd swallow the heart, and go, 
 And up to the door, and puttin in his head, 
 And, well ? And maybe two of them dead ! 
 And then the cry he'd put out of him ! 
 And prayin and cussin, and shoutin their name! 
 1 Half. - Fishing grounds. 3 At him, his foot.
 
 78 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Yes ! Or never no words at all, 
 
 But the dry eye starin against the wall. 
 
 And there's some o' them stood out to sea on a tack, 
 
 And never no thought at them to turn back, 
 
 Nor no heart ; but stupid like in the boat ; 
 
 And the tiller with only their oxther 1 to't, 
 
 And the head on the hand and sailin, sailin, 
 
 Reggilar, and goin a hailin 
 
 At some of these brigs, and hardly the sense 
 
 To know, and wakin like out of a trance, 
 
 And their eyes all glazed, and, "Look out! look 
 
 out ! " 
 
 And never a word but heavin about, 
 And in. And " Is that a way to steer ? " 
 Says the Whitehaven chaps ; and cussin them 
 
 there. 
 
 And some was .givin up everythin, 
 1 Arm-pit.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 79 
 
 And away to the mountains and wanderin, 
 
 And lavin the wife and the childer to die; 
 
 And the Pazon after them to try 
 
 Could he coax them or shame them ; and them 
 
 givin sheet l 
 
 Like the mischief and the Pazon, middlin fleet, 
 And knowin the country well, and 'd nab them 
 Aisy among the ling, and grab them 
 By the scruff, and ax them were they men ? 
 And cryin though from glen to glen 
 " Come home ! come home ! " And, bless ye ! 
 
 some 
 
 Would swear most fearful, and wouldn' come 
 No they wouldn' ! but 'd get on a rock 
 High up above him, and shout and mock, 
 Blasphemin pitiful. Aw, mad ! 
 Poor things. But others not so bad, 
 And 'd listen to the Pazon, for all, 
 And come whenever they heard him call 
 1 Running away.
 
 8o THE DOCTOR, 
 
 Aye ! and 'd put their hand in his 
 Like little childer. Aw, true it is ! 
 And he'd take and lead them very nice 
 And gentle lek, and the lovin vice, 
 And the lovin ways that was arrim J you see 
 And, " Come, then ! come, then ! come with me ! " 
 So the men would come, but very wake, 
 And a kind of silly, the way it'll make 
 The strongest. Aye ! aw, it might have been 
 Jesus Himself the poor chaps seen, 
 And follerin the way it says 
 In the Bible. How is this the vess 
 Is goin ? I'm not much of a scholar 
 Foller, it's sayin, aye ! they '// foller 
 The shepherd, it's sayin, the shepherd, though; 
 But a stranger they will not follow no! 
 For his voice is strange. So that's the raison 
 Aw, the Pazon's vice was sweet amazin, 
 And he'd have them home; aw, never fail ! 
 1 At him, which he had.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 81 
 
 And better and happier a dale. 
 And some was lookin for 'arbs, and chevvin them, 
 And atin roots, and not rightly knowin them, 
 And pizenin theirselves. And the ould women that 
 
 was doin 
 
 Charms and the lek was prayin and booin, 
 And hadrf no charms, and wouldn' let on 1 
 They ever had, or the power was gone. 
 And Christ to save them I save them ! save them ! 
 And Go ! But the people wouldn' belave them. 
 And axin for charms, and some o' them took 
 An ould wutch, and tore her, and ragged her, and 
 
 shook 
 
 The very life nearly out of her ! 
 And the women the worst. And the for ! the for 2 
 She wouldn' ? And screamin' bad, I'm tould ; 
 And prayin the Lord to save her soul. 
 And the Pazon come, and " Lave her alone ! " 
 He says, and Were their hearts of stone? 
 
 1 Admit. 2 Asking the reason why. 
 
 G
 
 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 He says, and druv them back. And crawlin 
 
 And slobberin at his feet, and callin 
 
 For to save her, and grippin his legs like crazy. 
 
 And the Pazon terrible onaisy. 
 
 And then the lot of them cried out 
 
 With a bitther cry, and sent the shout 
 
 Right up to heaven, and all the Lhen, 
 
 And all the shore, and all the glen 
 
 Was just one cry " Oh, save us, Lord ! 
 
 Save us according to Thy word ! 
 
 Save us, oh God of Israel ! " 
 
 And when the Pazon heard it he fell 
 
 On his knees, and he took l a shockin 2 prayer 
 
 I've heard plenty tellin that was there 
 
 Took a prayer, I tell ye, for all 3 
 
 Took a prayer, though, to the full 
 
 A splendid prayer, and all of them aised 
 
 Much in their minds, and mortal plaised 
 
 1 Offered up. 2 Magnificent. 3 However.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 83 
 
 With the Pazon, and the wutch got over her 
 
 fright- 
 But died, poor thing ! I'm tould, that night ! 
 
 Now, the Docthor heard that cry up there 
 At Bigode he did though, and bound to hear, 
 The sun just settin and him alone 
 Sittin on the ould grey stone 
 I tould ye. And the everin very still. 
 Then the cry come up the hill 
 And the other cry was in his heart 
 Torectly ; l and it was " Start, man ! start ! " 
 Aw, he started ! he did, for sure 
 Aye, that minute ! aw, tract thallure 2 
 Wasn' no word for him no ! no ! 
 Bless ye ! didn' the vice say Go ? 
 Aw, I've heard him tellin. And he said he ran 
 The hardest he could, and took and began 
 At the very first house, and sent a chap 
 1 Directly. 8 Time enough.
 
 84 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 To Douglas with a horse and trap 
 For physic and things, and then he stuck to, 
 And had it out with this cholera though 
 Aw, just like David the time he come 
 And left the sheep with the lad at home, 
 And a passil 1 o' little cheeses strappin 
 On his back for a present to the cap'n; 
 And then for all the father tould him 
 Yandher brothers must go and scould him. 
 But it's him that larned them how to fight, 
 And ups to the giant, and says he, " All right ! 
 Here's at ye ! " he says, " you vagabone ! " 
 And polished him off with a sling and a stone. 
 
 With a sling and a stone What's that you're 
 
 sayin ? 
 
 I'll trouble ye be so kind as 'splain. 
 Laughin, too ! What else ? what else ? 
 The stones the Docthor had would be pills ! 
 Aye, man, aye ? That's very witty 
 1 Parcel.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 85 
 
 Very ! Raely it's a pity 
 
 You're not in the circus, Bobby, too. 
 
 They're wantin fools I dessay you'd do ! 
 
 Pills ! but come ! no more of this 
 It's very improper that's what it is 
 And Scripther, too. Aw, drop it now ! 
 Listen to me, and I'll tell you the how ! 
 See ! here's the Docthor, and here is David ; 
 And if you don't understand it, lave it 
 The Docthor and David that's a pair 
 All as one : l now, then, look here 
 The Docthor and David didn' I say? 
 Well, then, here's the cholera 
 And David no, that's not it either 
 But anyway, two and two together. 
 David ! David ! Let me see ! 
 How would it be, now ! how would it be ? 
 The giant aw, it's aisy to mock 
 1 Just the same.
 
 86 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Swellin out like a turkey-cock, 
 
 And gobblin there most terrible ; 
 
 And David, with the eye upon him still 
 
 Two and two and aback of the shield 
 
 And /'// give your flesh to the beast of the field 
 
 Two of a side I'll have it directly 
 
 The cholera and the giant azackly I 1 
 
 The cholera that's ould Goliath ; 
 
 I got it now and it's sayin " he defieth 
 
 The armies of the livin God" 
 
 The rascal ! And tellin how he was shod, 
 
 And the coat and the spear like a weaver's beam 
 
 That's the cholera, just the same 
 
 Aw, I thought I hed it somewhere about ; 
 
 But, by gough, it was hard to get it out. 
 
 Botherin me, a sling and a stone ! 
 
 And pills ! I wish you'd lave me alone. 
 
 There was another docthor, too, they were havin 
 1 Exactly.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 87 
 
 Before, that didn' know what he was givin, 
 Nor why was he givin it a foolish 
 Sort of a chap that was comin from Dhoolish, 1 
 And couldn do nothin but sit by the bed 
 And tap the cane, and shake the head, 
 And feel the wrist, and count the watch 
 An ould man ! Chut ! he wasn' a match 
 For Bell at all ; for Bell was quick 
 And supple uncommon, and hearty lek, 
 And that cheerful that whenever he was by 
 You couldn' think a man would die 
 And that full of life, like makin it go 
 Into others out of himself, you know, 
 And just like drivin death afore him 
 That's the way. So this ould cockalorum 
 Saw he wasn' no use at the Lhen, 
 And cut, and never come back again. 
 And when the Dhoolish fellow was slantin 
 That's the very thing the Docthor was wantin, 
 1 Douglas.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And had a meetin up at the school, 
 
 And the Pazon there ; and Master Coole 
 
 That was Captain of the Parish was there ; 
 
 And of coorse the captain would be in the chair, 
 
 But couldn' put out no talk at all; 
 
 And then the people gave a call 
 
 For the Docthor to spake, and so he did, 
 
 But the Pazon first. And the little he said 
 
 Was very good. And The Lord had sent 
 
 The cholera for them to repent 
 
 And call upon His name, and turn ! 
 
 He said ; and His anger wouldn' burn 
 
 For ever, he said. And Our sins was great ; 
 
 But come unto the mercy seat I 
 
 He said, and the crimson would be like the wool ! 
 
 Aw, capital texes ! Beautiful ! 
 
 So I was tould at them that heard 
 
 And the Docthor didn say a word 
 
 Against the Pazon, but bowin, though, 
 
 And, " Our respected vicar," you know
 
 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And that. Aw, bless ye ! these Englishmen 
 
 Can do it with a taste they can 
 
 Chut ! of coorse ! and readier far ! 
 
 The Manx is awkward ! yes, they are ! 
 
 And excellent advise ! and trustin 
 
 They'd never forget ; but for all they mustn' 
 
 Lave everythin to the Lord, and sit 
 
 With their hands before them; but help a bit 
 
 Theirselves. And wouldn the Lord be willin 
 
 Of a bit of whitewash goin a spillin 
 
 About the place ? And what would they say 
 
 To begin and clear the middens away ? 
 
 And then an ould fisherman got up 
 
 (I believe he had a little sup), 
 
 And strooghed the hair, the way with them chaps, 
 
 And a little spit and a little cough perhaps 
 
 And says he, " The whitewash '11 do very well 
 
 But middens is middens, Masther Bell ! " 
 
 He says. Aw, bless us ! the laugh that was there !
 
 90 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 "Middens is middens !" Aw dear, aw dear! 
 
 Billy Sayle they were callin him, 
 
 But he was never gettin no other name 
 
 After that but "Billy the Midden." 
 
 And they wouldn clane them; and they didn' ! 
 
 And of coorse they were right ! What nonsense 
 
 bless ye ! 
 
 Them docthors, they're fit enough to disthress ye! 
 Capers ! 1 What's more comfortable 
 Till a midden about a house, if you're able 
 To have a midden, and keep it nice, 
 And anyways dry? And think of the price 
 Of dung and potatoes? You can't do without 
 
 them; 
 
 And how will you be doin about them 
 If you havn' a midden ! Chut ! they're clever, 
 But hasn' the smallest notion whatever 
 About dung not them ! And as for the stink 
 A midden needn' be a sink ! 
 1 Folly.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 91 
 
 Trim it nice upon the street, 
 
 And a midden '11 smell as sweet as sweet, 
 
 And very wholesome. I know it depends 
 
 Altogether on who attends 
 
 To the lek, and careful in the spreddin ; 
 
 But of coorse a man '11 be proud of his midden. 
 
 Well, the whitewash done a power of good, 
 
 And slishin it everywhere they could; 
 
 And the people began to take a heart. 
 
 And then some ranters come in a cart 
 
 From Foxdale over a dozen or more 
 
 And had a camp-meetin on the shore, 
 
 And shouted there most desperate. 
 
 And there was ones come down from the Sandy 
 
 Gate 
 
 And jined them, and barrels goin a proppin 
 Under the tills, 1 and the preachers moppin 
 Their faces, and all of them at it together, 
 1 Shafts of the cart.
 
 92 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And carryin on ; and the heat of the weather ; 
 
 And water sarvin out of a crock, 
 
 And singin out like one o'clock, 
 
 And roarin till the divils got hoarse, 
 
 And the women after them, of coorse ! 
 
 And some of them was faintin away 
 
 Like dead on the shore, I've heard them say. 
 
 And " Glory ! glory ! " was all the cry, 
 
 You know the way; and willin to die! 
 
 And Come, Lord Jesus ! Come ! Come ! Come ! 
 
 And the preacher goin with his fist like a drum 
 
 On the front of the cart, and roarin greatly 
 
 Aw, enjoyin hisself completely ! 
 
 When all of a sudden who should appear 
 
 But Docthor Bell ! And " What's this here ? " 
 
 He says ; " You rascals ! " he says, " be off ! 
 
 Get out of this ! " he says, " you scruff ! " 
 
 And they said his voice was just like thunder, 
 
 And took and kicked the barrels from under, 
 
 And down went the cart and the preachers too.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 93 
 
 And " Get home," he says, to the women, " do ! 
 Get home ! " he says, " isn' that your place ? " 
 He says ; " I wonder you've got the face," 
 He says, and "bad enough of the others," 
 He says, "Aye, bad; but you that's mothers," 
 He says, " It's the divil himself that's in't ! 
 Go to your childher ! " he says. And they went. 
 
 And he turns to the preachers "Come, make 
 
 tracks ! " 
 
 He says. "Indeed ! and may I ax," 
 Says one of them, " what's the meanin of this ? " 
 And cussin, and squarin up with the fist 
 At the Docthor; "You're makin very free," 
 He says. " Come on ! come on ! " says he. 
 And the Docthor gripped him, though, they said, 
 Till he rattled the very teeth in. his head. 
 " Let go ! " he says, and black in the face ; 
 " Let go ! " he says, " let go, if you plaise. 
 Let go! God's sake!" and chokeder and chokeder.
 
 94 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 " Ye dirty herpicrite ! " l says the Docthor, 
 
 And slacked the hoult, 3 " a putty preacher ! " 
 
 He says, " and cussin like that ; I'll teach yer ! " 
 
 He says, "and wherever do you expec 
 
 For to go to?" "I'm one of the elec'," 
 
 Says he. "Indeed!" says the Docthor, "indeed!" 
 
 He says, "I think I know the breed! 
 
 And who's electin ye?" he says. 
 
 " You're in the gall of bitterness 
 
 And the bond of iniquity," says the chap ; 
 
 "Come," says the Docthor, "yoke your trap 
 
 And cut, and don't come here again ! " 
 
 "Well, maybe not, though," says the men, 
 
 And yokes the cart, and cuts like winkin. 
 
 The Docthor was middlin hard, you're thinkin? 
 Not a bit of him ! What sense ! 
 Don't you know what difference 
 It makes when people is losin heart? 
 1 Hypocrite. 2 Hold.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 95 
 
 Aw, he was right to make them start ! 
 For, if it's the cholera that's in, 1 
 You're wantin all your strength to begin, 
 And courage to that. Aw, ye better belave, 
 Or send to the clerk to dig the grave. 
 
 Well, one way or another the sickness broke, 
 And then they were countin who was took 
 Just like after a battle, they're sayin, 
 They're goin about to count the slain. 
 There was two at Cleator's, and two at Gick's, 
 And two at Corkhill's that'd be six 
 And three at Kewin's, and Shimmin's four, 
 Well, now, that '11 be seven more ; 
 And six and seven '11 be thirteen, 
 And a baby took at 2 Tommy Cregeen: 
 And Jemmy Cregeen he lost a son, 
 And Juan Quayle, and Nelly Bun, 
 And a boy of Callow's, and three of Creer's 
 1 That you have to deal with. 2 From.
 
 96 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Gels, I think and at Harry Tear's 
 
 There wasn' a soul in the house alive, 
 
 So that'll be makin twenty-five. 
 
 But that wasn' all. I tell ye, then, 
 
 There was forty people dead at the Lhen. 
 
 I don't know was I born or not 
 
 Them times myself; but that's the lot ! 
 
 That's the number they were tellin 
 
 And no mistake. Ax l Neddy Crellin ! 
 
 All in a month, aye, every roan of them ! 
 
 And never no stone put up to the one of them, 
 
 No time, I tell ye, nor money, it's lek. 
 
 How could ye expec' ? How could ye expec' ? 
 
 So his work was done, and givin a yawn, 
 And " That '11 do ! " he says, and goin, 
 And all the women wantin to kiss him, 
 And down on their knees for God to bless him. 
 And home to Bigode, and not very bright, 
 1 Ask.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 97 
 
 And took hisself that very night ! 
 
 Not to say bad, but bad is the best. 
 
 And made hisself a sort of nest 
 
 In the barn on a loft that was there, and a ladder 
 
 And a hatch goin up, and lonesome rather. 
 
 And "Nobody," he said, "to come near him 
 
 On no account, and never fear him ! " 
 
 And a bottle of stuff ; and " Go now ! go ! " 
 
 And when he was better he'd let them know. 
 
 So Mrs. Kelly was very willin, 
 
 And, faith ! she'd rather till a shillin 
 
 He'd never come there. Aw, 'deed, she said it, 
 
 And of coorse she wouldn' be havin the credit 
 
 If he did get better, and " Very hard," 
 
 She said. And some people didrf regard 
 
 For others, she said. And it wasn' there 
 
 He took it, she said. And how was it fair 
 
 To be sneakin home to tier, Pazon Gale ! 
 
 She said, and the cholera to his tail ; 
 
 And her with a family, and the harvis 
 
 H
 
 98 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Coming on straight ; and nathral narvis 
 (The Pazon was tellin), and it -wasn' lek; J 
 And if Kelly had the laste respec', 
 The laste, she said, for the wife of his bosom, 
 He wouldrf suffer her to nuss him I 
 No, he wouldri ; bufd up to him straight, 
 And have him out that very night. 
 Yes, indeed I And eyin Kelly, 
 And him sayin nothin but " Relly ! 2 relly ! " 
 And " Bless me ! bless me ! " and hemmin and 
 
 hummin, 
 
 And the Pazon try in to coax the woman, 
 And done it, too, for anyway 
 The Docthor got libbity to stay. 
 
 But Kellies had a daughter, ye see, 
 And that was differin totally. 
 Aw, dear ! you'll easy understan', 
 A handsome man is a handsome man ; 
 1 Likely. Really.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 99 
 
 And if so be he's gennal, 1 too, 
 What 'd you have a gel to do ? 
 For the Docthor would be everywhere, 
 And meetin him upon the stair, 
 And houldin herself for him to pass, 
 And stoopin lek to hide her face, 
 And him goin puttin his hand on her head, 
 And strooghin. And whatever he said, 
 And never thinkin, and just as well. 
 Aw, it was suction for the gel ! 
 Suction ! I tell you. How do I know 1 
 Aw, Bobby ! Bobby ! you're foolish, though 
 You're foolish ! Is it knowin ? What ! 
 Knowin is knowin ; mind you that ! 
 Knowin is knowin ; and I'll tell ye how 
 The way's with me. I'll tell ye, now. 
 There's plenty o' things I never seen, 
 Nor couldn', and still they must have been; 
 And when I get thinkin o' them, it'll be drawin 
 1 Pleasant.
 
 ioo THE DOCTOR. 
 
 The head uncommon strong, and showin 
 
 The very picthure of them, it will; 
 
 And workin and workin terrible. 
 
 That's the knowin. And Bless me ! what's at 
 
 ye? 1 
 I wouldn' know anything if I didn' know it that 
 
 way 
 
 Seein it in my head. That's it ! 
 Chut ! I wouldn' give a spit 
 For a story when it wasn' puttin 
 Every hair and every button 
 The way it was, or was bound to be. 
 Do ye see the thing? D'ye see? d'ye see? 
 Maybe not ! All right ! all right ! 
 Seein is beein, says Tommy Tight : 
 And the way the head '11 work is shockin. 
 Not but ould Anthony's wife was talkin, 
 And 'd know them well, and livin near 
 Anthony's wife ! Aw dear ! aw dear ! 
 1 The matter with ye.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 101 
 
 Well, that's the way it was like suction, 
 
 Didn' I say ? And 's been the destruction 
 
 Of many a gel, but not of her. 
 
 Aw, honour bright ! And " Comin, sir ! " 
 
 And tremblin lek, and quick; and catchin 
 
 Her eye away; and watchin, and watchin; 
 
 And 'd sit in the window, and wait and wait ; 
 
 And startin when she heard the gate ; 
 
 And a bit of a ribbon in her breast ; 
 
 And a sort of a kind of a disthress'd. 
 
 But happy and very humble, though ! 
 
 And innocent. Chut ! You know ! you know ! 
 
 Not hopin much. But what's the use ! 
 
 Lovin, lovin, like the deuce ! 
 
 Aye ! aye ! The head is workin ? Ler l it ! 
 
 Workin ! That's the way you'll ger 2 it. 
 
 But, drop it ! drop it ! Marianne 
 
 They were callin her. And couldn' stan', 
 
 And couldn' sit; nor eat nor drink, 
 
 1 Let. - Get.
 
 102 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 I tell ye; nor couldn' sleep a wink. 
 
 Aw, poor craythur ! That's the way. 
 
 And droppin the cups upon the tray, 
 
 Sudden lek; and houldin the finger 
 
 For the little ones to hush ; and 'd linger 
 
 Greatly, and all a kind o' suspicious, 
 
 Aye ! lek it 'd be a sort of a vicious 
 
 (The head is workin, Bobby? What?) 
 
 And cross with the childher, and sthooin 1 the cat 
 
 (Eh, Bobby? eh?); and turnin and twissin, 
 
 Like a bitch when the pups is goin a missin. 
 
 Do ye see her, Bobby ? Run, man ! run ! 
 
 Hould her ! hould her ! Bobby is done ! 
 
 Aw, seein is nothin ! Ger along ! 
 
 Just the strong the head, and drawin strong. 
 
 Now, this poor gel was dyin just ! 
 Aw, terrible ! And I wouldn' trust 
 But it's up on the laft 2 she 'd have taken 3 straight 
 1 Driving away. 2 Loft. * Gone.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 103 
 
 Aye, by gough ! the very night 
 
 The Docthor come home ; but bashful, no doubt ; 
 
 And the mother watchin her in and out, 
 
 And got a notion what she had, 1 
 
 And gave it her in style, she did. 
 
 And " Lave her alone ! " and " Bless my life ! " 
 
 Says Kelly ; but much afraid of the wife. 
 
 And "Stick to your work," says the mother, "you 
 
 slut! 
 
 And let me see you stir a foot 
 Till them priddhas 2 is peelt." And one by one 
 The big tears slushin into the can. 
 ( Workin, Bobby ? stronger and stronger ?) 
 Well, at last the gel couldn' hould any longer; 
 For the heart was mostly bust at her. 
 So aisy ! aisy ! down the stair, 
 Just about when the day'd be peepin; 
 And hushin the dogs ; and creepin, creepin ; 
 And slips the boult; and her head all swimmin, 
 1 What was the matter with her. Potatoes.
 
 104 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And her heart in her mouth ! Aw, bless these 
 
 women ! 
 
 Wasn' she tellin' all the spree 
 Long after that to Misthress Lee? 
 And over the street, and never a shoe on ; 
 And hardly knowin what she was doin 
 Aw, a soft sort of thing ! it's aisy belavin 
 But the love that was in her, and the cravin 
 Aw, soft, no doubt ; and stupid rather ; 
 And takin mos'ly after the father. 
 And up to the loft, and stood a bit; 
 And never a sound. " He's dead ! that's it ! " 
 She says. " He's dead ! " and all the love 
 Come upon the craythur, and strove 
 And wrestled with her, till she fell 
 On her knees beside him. And " Mr. Bell ! 
 I'm here ! " she says. " It's me ! " she says ; 
 " It's Marianne, sir, if you plaise ; " 
 And sobbin lek her heart would brek. 
 " Don't die ! don't die ! " and coaxin lek.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 105 
 
 Poor thing ! poor thing ! and what to do ? 
 Very soft, but lovin, too ! 
 
 Now, the Docthor wasn' dead, not him; 
 But lyin in a sort of a dream 
 Deep, though ! deep ! that you couldn' tell 
 Was there life in his body. So this here gel 
 Set to work aw, I'll engage her ! 
 And kissed his hand like for a wager ; 
 And kissed and kissed. And a stunnin cure 
 Aw uncommon ! Aw 'deed for sure ! l 
 Kisses, I mean. Hands 1 I don't know, 
 But wantin a dale of patience though. 
 But he woke at last, with a big long breath 
 Like swimmin up from the bottom of death ; 
 And the first he saw was this Marianne, 
 Which, in coorse, she dropped the hand, 
 And her own both clapped to her face like a shot. 
 Aw, clapped enough ; and as hot as hot ! 
 1 Indeed it is.
 
 106 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And trimblin terrible, kneelin there. 
 
 Aw, trimblin ! trimblin ! never fear ! 
 
 And the Docthor signin for her to go 
 
 Signin still. But she wouldn' no ! 
 
 No, she wouldn' ! not a bit of her ! 
 
 Wouldn' go, nor wouldn' stir ! 
 
 And there was the Docthor signin signin 
 
 Most awful ! and her never mindin ; 
 
 But trimblin still, and couldn' spake, 
 
 Couldn' the Docthor, bein that wake ; 
 
 And signed for her to put her head 
 
 Close to his mouth. And so she did. 
 
 And whisperin ; and " she musn' stay ! " 
 
 And "for all the sakes to go away !" 
 
 And then she got sulky all of a sudden, 
 
 And " she wouldn' go then ! So she wouldn' so 
 
 she wouldn', 
 
 So she wouldn', too" and makin the lip 
 And sulkin, I tell ye the little rip ! 
 Then he tried to fie-for-shame her. And then
 
 THE DOCTOR. 107 
 
 She bust a cryin. So he couldn pretend 
 Not to be noticin any more, 
 And never seen the lek afore ; 
 And cryin and cryin like the deuce 
 And not the smallest bit of use. 
 So signs for her to stoop down low 
 (It's like he was workin the eyes, you know, 
 Havin lost the vice), and " Darlin ! " he said, 
 Quite hoast, 1 and tryin to sthroogh the head, 
 But as wake as water, " Darlin pet ! " 
 Meanin only to coax her a bit, 
 The way 2 she'd be goin. Coin, indeed ! 
 And the soul at her just beginnin to feed. 
 Aw, take a baby from the diddy 3 
 Just when the mother's gettin it ready ! 
 Aw, bless your soul ! them words was mate. 4 
 Darlin ! he said ; aw, did he say't ? 
 And axin him to say it again. 
 And was she his darlin ? Aw, was she, then ? 
 1 Hoarse. * In order that. 3 Breast. 4 Meat.
 
 io8 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Of coorse, of coorse ! Just think of the drouth 
 
 That was in his heart and in his mouth; 
 
 And her like butter from the churn, 
 
 That fresh, and how could he help but yearn 
 
 To the sweet young breath that was comin and 
 
 goin 
 
 Upon his face, like roses blowin 
 In June, the way it says in the song? 
 Chut ! He couldn'. Right or wrong. 
 Of coorse ! of coorse ! So it come at last 
 The long, long kiss ! Aw, the long it was ! 
 And the rain of tears ; and satisfied ; 
 And "Aw, I thought I would have died," 
 Says she, and " loved you from the first ; " 
 And he fell asleep with his lips on hers. 
 
 Spooney ! you're sayin. Aye, man, aye ? 
 Lies / you're thinkin ? Aw, divil the lie ! 
 Wasn' it Anthony's wife that was talkin ? 
 Bless your heart ! That woman was shockm !
 
 THE DOCTOR. 109 
 
 Never a thing that she was tould 
 
 But blabbed to every livin soul ! 
 
 But Mrs Bett ! You'd hardly suppose 1 } 
 
 Chut ! Bless ye ! Goodness only knows. 
 
 Rather a foolish sort of a craythur ! 
 
 And women, you know, it's in their nathur, 
 
 Colloguin lek, and free of the tongue, 
 
 And braggin the days when they were young. 
 
 And as for a secret, they cannot hould it 
 
 And, well ! No matter ! The woman tould it. 
 
 Tould it ? Aye ! And missin her 
 
 In the mornin, and lookin everywhere, 
 
 And up on the loft. And What, what, what! 
 
 And slut ! and hussy ! and Come out of that ! 
 
 And Oh I and what would the people say ? 
 
 And Caught with the Docthor in the hay! 
 
 And Of all the troubles, and she'd had her share ! 
 
 And the Kellies, too ! Aw, dear! aw, dear! 
 
 The Kellies! The Kellies of Bigode! 
 
 And Bless her soul ! she might have know 1 d I
 
 no THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And Oh, the art/id! And Oh, the sly ! 
 
 And the brat to her face, and begun to cry, 
 
 And blowin her nose, and about her character. 
 
 And What to do ? And Enough to disthract her / 
 
 And never a word from Marianne ; 
 
 But the Docthor, which his voice was gone, 
 
 I was tellin you, had it nicely back 
 
 That time ; for kisses is good to slack 
 
 The throat, and a little love or so 
 
 Will make a man very lively, though 
 
 Very; and so he shamed her grand, 
 
 And How was it she didrt tinderstand? 
 
 And What was the good to be booin there ? 
 
 " You silly woman ! " he said to her ; 
 
 Aye, "silly," he said; "and this poor child," 
 
 And he laid his hand on her head, and he smiled 
 
 " She knows no evil, Mrs Kelly, mum ; 
 
 And she thinks no evil," and Well for some 
 
 If their hearts was as simple and innocent 
 
 As Marianne's. And what she meant,
 
 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And 'splainin lek, and For goodness sake ! 
 
 Aw, putty talk, and no mistake. 
 
 " And this little gel is tellin me 
 
 She loves me. Loves me, though," says he. 
 
 " Aye, aye ! That's it ! " says the woman, then. 
 
 " Nice work ! " she says. " And 's took to the men 
 
 Middlin early, and havn lost 
 
 Much time," she says, and The slut she was! 
 
 And this and that. Aw, the Docthor was mad; 
 
 And " Stop ! " he said. And he said, the bad 
 
 The tongue was at her ; and clane disagusted 
 
 He said he was, the way she distrusted 
 
 Everybody ; and " Wait a bit ! 
 
 Wait for all ! God bless me ! wait ! 
 
 I was goin," he says, "to tell the precious 
 
 This love is to me; the way it refreshes 
 
 My very soul," he says ; " the way 
 
 I clasp it." " Claspin ! claspin, eh ? " 
 
 Says she ; " aw, claspin enough, I beliv', 
 
 If it's claspin you're at ! " And what would she give
 
 112 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 If she 'd never ! and Kelly a local, too ! 
 And whatever, whatever would she do? 
 
 " Now, listen ! " he says ; " God bless me ! listen ! " 
 And never saw such a iggrint ' pessin, 
 And 'd rather have tould her another day ; 
 But what could he do, and what could he say? 
 Not willin to look like fo'ced, 2 you know 
 The way with them chaps that's bringin to 
 " What's your intentions ? " that's the shout ; 
 And had to speak out, and did speak out. 
 And, "We're goin to be married, this little gel 
 And me to be married," says Docthor Bell. 
 "Goin to be married ! married !" says she; 
 And clasps her hands, " Ma chree ; ma chree ! 3 
 Goin to be married ! And will you have her ? " 
 Says she. " I wouldn' trust, 4 however," 
 Says he. "And will you have him?" she says 
 
 1 Ignorant. - Forced. 3 My heart. 
 
 4 It seems probable.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 113 
 
 To the daughter. " Thank you, if you plaise," 
 Says she, and cryin for her life. 
 "Well, the imperince ! " says Kelly's wife; 
 But jumps for joy, and runs to the laddher, 
 And down like a shot, to get the father ; 
 And tripped, and groaned a little ; but cut 
 Across the yard with a limp in her foot ; 
 And, " Come, man ! come ! Make haste, for all ! 
 And bless me ! didn' ye hear me call ? " 
 And the two of them up. And "A solemn occasion," 
 Says Kelly ; and has his apprerbation, 
 And sighin a dale ; and The coorse of events ; 
 And A most mysterious Providence. 
 And Maybe a little bit of prayer ? 
 And Would they objec 1 1 And down with him there 
 On his knees, like a shot; and roared like sin, 
 And roared till the rafters was ringin again, 
 Roared ! God bless your soul, the roar ! 
 And blessin their basket and their store, 
 And the olive branches around their table ; 
 
 i
 
 114 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And freckenin * the bosses in the stable ! 
 
 Aw, uncommon powerful, I'm tould, at the prayin! 
 
 And had him in the house, they were sayin 
 
 Had him in that very night, 
 
 And into the big bed with him straight. 
 
 So that's the way, you'll understan', 
 
 The Docthor married Marianne. 
 
 
 
 And the best of nussin, never fear ! 
 And everybody gettin to hear. 
 But the woman was right. Aw, terrible talk : 
 And " Deed on, 2 Kellies !" and " Yandher gawk ! " 
 And " Hooked the Docthor ! have she ? Aye ! " 
 And nudgin, and winkin ; and " Never say die ! " 
 And " Not a bad dodge ! " and " Batin 3 us ! " 
 And all to that ! 4 Aw, scandalous ! 
 For, you see, they will if they gets the chance. 
 But I'm allis thinkin of the fellow once 
 In the Bible, you know that said to his brother, 
 1 Frightening. 2 Well done ! 3 Beating. 4 So forth.
 
 THE DOCTOR. \.\- 
 
 " Pull out the mote ! " " Indeed ! " says the other ; 
 " Is it motes ? " he says ; " and talkin to me ! 
 Come out o' that with that beam ! " says he. 
 
 And how about the lady, then ? 
 
 Miss Harriet, of coorse, you mean. 
 
 Well, that's the thing. You've got me there ! 
 
 Aw, got enough ! J For it's seemin clear, 
 
 And promised, you know, and all to that, 
 
 The Docthor should have stuck to her. What? 
 
 Stuck to her ? Aye ! Aw, stuck, stuck, stuck ! 
 
 And there's them that would, whatever the luck, 
 
 And no matter for fathers, and no matter for mothers 
 
 Some people's stickier till others. 
 
 Well, I can't say was he thinkin it betther 
 To bury his trouble altogether, 
 And this Marianne like bushes he'd have 
 Growin there to hide the grave ; 
 Or weak, just weak ; or how would it be. 
 1 Fairly.
 
 ii6 7 HE DOCTOR. 
 
 For if she married one of the quality 
 He might fancy she'd be happier, 
 Bein used of the lek, and suitin her, 
 Lek a man, you know, of her own persishin; 1 
 Aye, and the way her father was wishin. 
 But what for wouldri! she be happy with him 1 
 Well, raelly, I cannot tell ye, Jem ; 
 But blood is blood lek, whether or not 
 Blood is blood you'll give in to that. 
 Aye, blood is blood, says you, and Sell's 
 Was every taste as good as the gel's. 
 No, no ! my lad ! You're out of it no\v. 
 Blood is blood, that I'll allow; 
 But there's odds o' blood, man, nevertheless 
 Odds, man, odds ! that's the way it is. 
 fust prick your finger, you're sayin, and try 
 Isn' it the same. To which I rerply, 
 The same as what ? as a pig's or a sheep's, 
 Or Bobby the Bull's, or Barney the Sweep's ? 
 1 Position.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 117 
 
 All right ! all right ! But a common pessin 
 The same as a gentleman's ? No, it isn' ! 
 Aisy ! aisy ! Don't cuss, my gillya ! l 
 I'll have no cussin upon it, I tell ye ; 
 No, I won't ! So there's a stopper ! 
 Let's argufy it nice and proper, 
 And put it out the way it should. 
 Now, I'm perfect willin blood is blood, 
 And chaps like you can't see no furder, 
 
 And thinks yourselves Oh, murder ! murder ! 
 
 The foolishness a man'll be frothin 
 
 When he havn' got knowledge, nor sense, nor nothin ! 
 
 But we're all from Adam / So I believe 
 
 Certainly ; and likewise Eve ! 
 
 Fair play for the woman ! The man was the block 
 
 head! 
 
 She didn' put the apple in her pocket 
 Anyway, but gave him share, 
 And warned afore, but didn' care. 
 1 Lad.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Aw, if it's Adam ! that ould scamp ! 
 
 He's not much of a examp l 
 
 The very chap we got all the woe by ; 
 
 He's not much of a man to go by ! 
 
 You're middlin hard up, I do declare, 
 
 Eh, Jem, when it's houldin on to Adam you are ! 
 
 But prick the finger, and then yotfll see ! 
 
 Prick the finger ! goodness me ! 
 
 What for the finger ? Look ! here goes ! 
 
 Let's draw a drop from Jemmy's nose ! 
 
 Ha, ha ! That'll never do, Jem, will it ? 
 
 You havn' got too much, Jem you don't like to 
 
 spill it ; 
 Eh, Jem? Were you freckened? were you freckened, 
 
 lad? 
 
 No, you ivarerit ! Well, don't be mad ! 2 
 Just jokin lek. I'm fond of Jem ; 
 But smell that knuckle all the same ! 
 
 1 Example. 2 Angry.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 119 
 
 You'll leave it to any docthor eh? 
 
 Now, that's the very thing I was going to say. 
 
 A docthor's the man that'll tell ye the brew, 
 
 For he'll just be takin a drop o' the two, 
 
 And he'll clap his glass, and see in a minute 
 
 The little insecs that's swimmin in it. 
 
 Insecs ! aye! The divil 1 you're sayin. 
 
 Aisy ! aisy ! Robert Cain ! 
 
 Divils ! no ! But little roundy things. 
 
 Who said divilst Divils has wings. 
 
 Well, I think if I didn' know 
 
 Nothin about nothin, I'd leave it so. 
 
 A cock shouldn' fight if he's got no spurs ; 
 
 And them that's had the advantagers, 
 
 Lek me, bein thick with docthors that way, 
 
 It isn raisonable at ye, eh? 
 
 Docthors ! Bless ye ! and who'd there be 
 
 Knowin about docthors, if it wasn' me ? 
 
 Some right, I think, and seen him strainin 
 
 The lek through a sieve, and stuff remainin,
 
 120 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 The way with the milk when they're takin and 
 
 silin l it. 
 
 Aye, and bilin it actual bilin it ! 
 Afore he'd be done. But he'd know by the 
 
 smell, 
 
 And the colour. Dear me ! It's aisy to tell. 
 Havn' you never heard them talkin 
 About blood that was blue (I'll have no mockin)? 
 Yes, blue ! Well, that's the thing, ye see. 
 Blue and red ! That's the way it 'd be. 
 And the smell the same, and natheral, 
 If you think of the rearin, and feedin, and all. 
 Only consider the stuff they're gerrin ! 2 
 None of your barley-bread, priddhas 3 and herrin, 
 Or that ; but the best of beef and fowls, 
 Could and hot ; and salmons and soles ; 
 And candy sugar and lemonade; 
 And cakes, and every pissave 4 that's made; 
 
 1 Passing it through the sile, or strainer. 
 
 2 Getting. 3 Potatoes. 4 Preserve.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 12 r 
 
 And puddins and pies, and tarts and jellies, 
 Takin and slashin them into their bellies, 
 
 And wine in buckets ! And: Chut ! It's no 
 
 use 
 
 That's the stuff that's workin the juice 
 Of their blood. And straint 1 and double straint, 
 Of coorse ; and makin it smell like saint ! 2 
 Aw, ye better believe it. But never mind ! 
 Kith is kith, and kind is kind ! 
 
 Well, for sure, 3 they got married, though ; 
 
 And the weddin that was at them. 4 Mortal show ! 5 
 
 Aw, uncommon ! Never fear ! 
 
 And the mostly half of the parish there. 
 
 And a terrible speech at Masther Coole, 
 
 And ould Kelly himself as drunk as a fool ; 
 
 But solemn lek ; and 'd 'a 6 took a prayer, 
 
 But gripped at the wife, and didn' dare. 
 
 1 Strained. 3 Scent. 3 Really. 4 They had. 
 5 Very grand. 6 Would have.
 
 122 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 4 
 
 And forced to be watched. And the head goin 
 
 cockin ; 
 
 And the hem ! And the knees goin knickin-knockin ! 
 Ready the minute the woman 'd stir, 
 And her eyin him, and him eyin her. 
 And " Oh ! " he says, " Thy love possessin ! " 
 And spreadin the hands like a sort of blessin. 
 Well, that was Kelly couldn' stan' ! 
 And talk to put him off the plan 
 At l the Methodists, you know ; but didn'. 
 And Who was yandher that was goin a biddin 
 To the marriage feast in Cana there ? 
 And some of them hearty enough, thafs dear. 
 And 'Scusable to get a little tight 
 Just on your daughter's weddin night. 
 And The best of men was apt to be floored 
 In a season. And " Glory to the Lord ! " 
 And "Dear brother Kelly," and "Yes," and "No," 
 And smilin, and "Well to be watchful, though," 
 And the shuperintendan' goin a bringin 
 1 Among.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 123 
 
 From Douglas over, and prayin and singin, 
 
 The way you know with them Ranthar l fellows ; 
 
 And Kelly sighin like a bellows ! 
 
 And all made up, though, very nice, 
 
 The ould people was tellin. And For them to 
 
 rejice, 
 
 Says the preacher. And " See the effec' of grace ! " 
 Aw, the Bigode was a shockin comfibil place ! 
 Aw, comfibil very comfibil ! 
 And handy for the praechers still. 
 Aw, porridge or puddin, cowld or hot; 
 Fish or flesh. I know the lot. 
 Give them a smell give them a smell ! 
 Aw, bless your soul ! It's easy to tell 
 Praechers is it? Don't I know them? 
 Bloodhounds isn' nothin to them ! 
 Aw, they couldn' do without Bigode ! 
 Craeture comfits that's the road ! 
 And " The labourer worthy of his hire ! " 
 And the little table up to the fire ; 
 1 Ranter.
 
 124 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And a drop of punch, and shammin weak, 
 And riftin l lek. And " Take man take ! 
 Aw, take ! " And strooghin down the belly ; 
 And" Sesther, sesther ! Kelly, 2 relly ! " 
 Aw, they knows the spot, and sticks to it, 
 By gough. And sure enough it's writ 
 " Go not about from house to house." 
 Catch a praecher ! Catch a louse ! 
 
 Well, the week was hardly flown 
 
 Afore there was terrible meetins goin ! 
 
 Meetins, meetins ! One at the Bull, 
 
 And resolutions to the full. 
 
 And all the fishermen come swarmin, 
 
 And ould Bobby Jinks at them for a chairman. 
 
 And another up at the miners' store. 
 
 Aw, they said there was never the lek afore. 
 
 All the captains about was arrit, 3 
 
 Captain Row and Captain Garrett. 
 
 1 Belching. 2 Really. 3 At it.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 125 
 
 He was a Cornish man was yandher Row, 
 
 Aw, a fuss-rate captain, though. 
 
 Fuss-rate enough, and done a speech 
 
 Aw, scandalous ! l And Neddy Creech, 
 
 That was keepin the store, though, wouldn' be bet, 
 
 But up like a shot and seconds it. 
 
 And the Pazon had a meetin, too, 
 
 And the wardens there. And what to do. 
 
 And Tommy Tite gave a propogician 2 
 
 For the Pazon to take, and start a petition, 
 
 Or whatever they're callin it, and statin 
 
 "The general wish." And then a meetin 
 
 Of the whole parish, and givin it out 
 
 In the church a' Sunday; and what was it about. 
 
 And for all to be sure to come, however. 
 
 Aw, 'deed the Pazon done it clever, 
 
 And had the meetin in the school, 
 
 And people comin down from Barrule, 
 
 And everywhere they heard the call, 
 
 1 Splendid. a Proposal.
 
 126 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Fishermen, farmers, miners, and all. 
 
 Bless me the jingin and the jammin, 
 
 They were tellin; and speeches goin uncommon 
 
 Aw, puttin out fuss-rate, mind you ! 
 
 At 1 the Pazon there and Neddy Follew, 
 
 That was one of the Keys, and Ruchie 2 Quirk, 
 
 That was water-bailiff. Aw, dear, the work 
 
 That was in ! And the Pazon's petition read, 
 
 And To Dr. Bell, M.D., it said, 
 
 And their grateful hearts. And the terrible skill, 
 
 It was sayin. And impossible to tell 
 
 Their feelins lek. And requestin, then, 
 
 He'd come down from Bigode, and live at the 
 
 Lhen. 
 
 Aw, done with a taste, I'm tould. Aw, splendid ! 
 Aw, the man that could, and proper ended 
 " Petitioners will ever pray." 
 You know the way ! you know the way ! 
 And proposed and seconded; and a roar, 
 1 By. 2 Richard.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 127 
 
 I was tould, like thunder; and the chaps at the 
 
 door, 
 
 Hurra ! hurra ! the way they'd buss ; l 
 Hurra ! and carried munanermous 
 Munanermous ! Aw, tear your shirt ! 
 Nemine commine that's your sort ! 
 But they had to build a house for him, too ; 
 For there wasnt one at the Lhen would do, 
 Just a corner of a craft ' 3 
 Of Tommy Tite's, that was lettin aff 3 
 Sundered-lek from the rest of the farm 
 That was there, and a terrible mortgage arrim;* 
 And the house mortgaged, too. Aw, bless your 
 
 mammee ! 
 
 Your soul to glory ! That was Tommy ! 
 And Kelly, of Bigode, you see, 
 Was goin bond and security 
 For the lot. Aw, well the ould divil knowed 
 
 1 As if they would burst. 2 Croft. Off. 
 
 4 At him, held by him.
 
 128 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 The nice bit o' backin that was in Bigode 
 
 Aye, by gough, and the fishermen 
 Took a notion to begin 
 And build a boat for the Docthor; the way 
 He blackguarded yandher cholera. 
 Lek grateful-lek ; and down at the Bull 
 Plannin, plannin, to the full 
 Aw, plannin regular, but couldn' agree ; 
 And if they could, it's a wondher to me ; 
 For lines is lines, you'll understand, 
 And allis better to lave it to one ; 
 And did at last, but afore it come 
 To that, the most of a barrel of rum 
 Was drunk. Aw, fit enough it's lek 
 To float her. And Harry Injebreck 
 Head man agate o' the talkin still, 
 And arguin, arguin, terrible ! 
 And " Have a builder ! " says Harry, " and 
 pay'm;"
 
 THE DOCTOR. 129 
 
 And " Baem l for ever ! Give her baem ! " 
 Baem was allis Harry's shout. 
 And, "God bless me! what are you talkin about!" 
 Says another; and cussin; and "Baem's your call. 
 But we'll build the boat ourselves, for all 
 Build her ourselves ! " and down with the fiss, 
 And "Hear! hear! hear!" and "Yes! yes! yes!" 
 And how, and when, and would it be batthar 
 To have a round starn, or a counter at her; 
 And carver or clinker, and dandy rig, 
 Or what, and wait for Shimmin's brig, 
 Or last year's timber? And "What's your hurry?" 
 And " Strek while it's hot ! " and " Furree ! 2 
 
 furree ! " 
 
 i 
 
 You know their way; but left the job 
 At last to Dicky-Dick-beg-Dick-Bob. 
 
 Now, Dicky was a mortal religious chap, 
 That never drunk nothin stronger till pop. 
 1 Beam. 2 Easy. 
 
 K
 
 130 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Catch him at Callow's ! Aw, the very pick 
 
 Of a fine ould Methodist was Dick 
 
 The rael ould sort; the first that was 
 
 When Wesley come preachin on the Cross 
 
 In Dhoolish there ; and good men, too ! 
 
 The pity of them is the few, 
 
 And most of them gone to Heaven. Aw, dear ! 
 
 The ones that's now Aw, well, I'll swear 
 
 Ould Wesley wouldn' know them a bit.] 
 
 " Ger out ! " he'd say : that's it ! that's it ! 
 
 Aw, worldly ! worldly ! But, Ruchie Fell, 
 
 Bless ye ! I remember him well. 
 
 I don't think it's ten years since he died 
 
 Ten, would it be, for Hollantide? 1 
 
 Aye, ten ! Aw, a nice ould man, but streck, 2 
 
 And terrible religious lek. 
 
 And hard to say, says Molly the Spud, 
 
 But there's some o' them is very good. 
 
 1 All Hallows. 2 Strict.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And that was the way with Dick, for sure 
 Aw, good, I tell ye ; good thallure ! 
 
 I've heard them sayin that from his youth 
 
 The Lord was with him of a truth 
 
 Aw, a sweet ould craythur, whatever there was in 
 
 of him ; 
 
 Aw, a sweet ould man, to the very skin of him. 
 White and dry, you know, and that; 
 And all the suck and all the fat 
 Strained out of him ; but as sweet as a bebby ! 2 
 And the face, you know, a kind of a slebby 3 
 With the shine, and his breath like a sort of a 
 
 balsam, 
 
 The poor old thing ! that sweet and wholesome. 
 But feeble though, and desperate troubled 
 With these rheumatics. Aw, I've seen him doubled 
 Many a time; but patient with such 
 Sighin a little, but not so much. 
 
 1 Enough. u Baby. 3 Slippery.
 
 132 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And a little smile, and a little hem 
 They're lookin very holy is them. 
 
 Well Ruchie it was, and never dus' l 
 
 Put a hand but a fit of prayer over it fus' 3 
 
 Aw, prayin reglar the Lord 'd give signs 
 
 To his soul for to help him with yandher lines. 
 
 You're lookin ! Look then ! Look again ! 
 
 Chut ! what's the use for me to explain ! 
 
 Aye ! prayin about yandher lines, d'ye hear ! 
 
 Prayin the Lord 'd make them clear 
 
 Lek drawin the pecther 3 of them for him 
 
 Lek houldin them there till they're copied arrim 4 - 
 
 Lek givin a list 5 to his soul to go 
 
 The way the Lord 'd be wantin' you know, 
 
 For him to stretch. And rather dim, 
 
 And a sort of far off lek liftin him 
 
 To see them lek the way you'll lif 
 
 A child to see the father's skiff 
 
 1 Durst. - First. 3 Picture, 
 
 4 At him = by him. 5 Inclination.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 133 
 
 Close-hauled for the shore. But what's the use ! 
 
 Leave it alone, then ; and go to the deuce ! 
 
 I know what I mean. You didn' doubt it? 
 
 Well then let's have no more about it. 
 
 But it's on my mind, and look here! I don't care 
 
 I'll say it, I will, there's a deal in prayer, 
 
 A deal ! Why, bless your life, I've heard 
 
 A chap on a coach that didn' regard 
 
 For God or divil, and cocked up as grand 
 
 On the dicky there like a gentleman, 
 
 And the whole of the coach there listenin to him, 
 
 And had it all his own way blow him ! 
 
 A skinny chap I know the crew ! 
 
 Aw, a reglar cock-a-doodle-do ! 
 
 " Dear me ! " he says, " and aren' you aware 
 
 It's all a delusion," he says, "is prayer?" 
 
 " It's settled," he says, " at the head men goin, 
 
 It's settled ! " And an ould man there gave a groan, 
 
 And a woman with a child at the breast 
 
 Fie-for-shamed him ; but all the rest
 
 134 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Was just like sheep ; and me rather tight 
 Saturday night, you know Saturday night! 
 Tom Cowle was drivin himself that Spring 
 Teetotal, but reason in every thing, 
 And a drop is a drop; and civil is civil, 
 And half asleep ! So I says to this divil, 
 "What's that?" I says. "Delusion, is it? 
 Delusion !" I says. "Look out for your gizzit!" 1 
 I says : " here's a little delusion of mine ! " 
 And I took the chap, and I sent him flyin 
 What 1 off the coach 1 Aye ! hove him clear ! 
 / must have broke his neck ? Aw, never you fear ! 
 Aw, I wouldn' trust but 2 I gave him a mark 
 But I don't know it was rather dark. 
 Didrf he follow ? Aw, that'll do ! 
 Aisy ! Aisy ! The same for you ! 3 
 
 I was talkin about Ruchie Fell, 
 
 1 Gizzard. 2 Rather suspect. 
 
 3 I will ex tend the same indulgence to you another time.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 135 
 
 And the prayer that was at him. Well ! well ! well ! 
 
 And prayer is stronger the most that jines 
 
 But prayer it was that done them lines, 
 
 And Ruchie's prayer; and never a soul 
 
 To back him, but all alone, I'm tould; 
 
 All alone and the first he got 
 
 Was the run ; and, by gough ! I know the spot 
 
 The Roman Chapel that was down at the Race, 
 
 That's where the Lord was givin him grace 
 
 To think the run. And had it as clane, 
 
 Aw, bless ye it might have been smoothed with a 
 
 plane 
 
 And ready for boultin, the clane he had it 
 And the next was the entrance l you'll hardly credit, 
 But I've heard them tellin it for a fac', 
 He was out two tides on the top of the Stack, 2 
 And never a bite ; but waitin, waitin, 
 And the head in the hand, the people was statin, 
 Till the Lord 'd be pleased, and come at last 
 1 Lines in boat-building. 2 Rock of that name.
 
 136 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 In a kind of music, like a sort of a bass, 
 
 He was tellin, from the very heart of the sea ; 
 
 And all the water in the bay 
 
 Was playing music ; and like as it 
 
 The floor of his soul was broke in a rif, 1 
 
 Or a chink, or the lek. And he took and stooped 
 
 Inside of hisself ; and a place lek scooped, 
 
 And the bearins 2 there lek drew with a pen, 
 
 And words, and "For Jesus' sake, Amen," 
 
 And a light goin sthrooghin ; 3 and a A and a O, 
 
 Like you'll see in a church. Aw, he had them, 
 
 though ! 
 
 He had them, I tell you, as puffec' 4 as puffec' ! 
 And who come by but Masthar McGuffock 
 (Collecthor McGuffock); and hails him there, 
 And aboard with him. And says he, " What cheer ? " 
 And about the wind ; and how was the signs ? 
 
 1 Rift, cleft. 2 Lines in boat-building. 
 
 3 Stroking = movement as of lines drawn with phosphorus. 
 
 4 Perfect.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 137 
 
 And " Glory ! " he says ; " I've got the lines ! " 
 Poor thing ! like one of them saints in a pecther. 1 
 The laugh, they were sayin, tha' was at 2 the Col- 
 
 lecthor ! 
 
 And home to bed. And the wife couldn' tell 
 What was the matter with Ruchie Fell. 
 Stiff as a fit he was, and the eyes 
 All strained with light, and twice the size. 
 And " I see her ! " he says ; " she's afloat ! she's 
 
 afloat ! 
 
 God bless the boat ! God bless the boat ! 
 The very lines ! the very, very \" 
 He says. And "Sterry," 3 he says, "there! sterry ! 
 Wait till Jesus '11 take the tiller!" 
 He says ; and frecknin poor ould Bella 
 Most terrible. And "Look! He's gor 4 it! 
 Crack on ! " says Ruchie ; " now then for it ! 
 She's true!" he says; "not an inch beyond that ! 
 No she'll not ! no she'll not ! 
 
 1 Picture. 2 The collector had. 3 Steady. 4 Got.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 I tould ye! "he says, "the speed! the speed!" 
 And " Jesus! the Saviour! the Friend in need!" 
 
 Aw, the poor ould soul ! Ye see the hard 
 They were workin in him from the Lord 
 Them lines. But when she was built, however, 
 The Friend in Need was the name they gave her. 
 Aye, and couldn' a better fit 
 Of a name, if you'll only think of it. 
 A friend in need, as you may say 
 The Docthor, you know, and the cholera. 
 
 So the boat was built. Aw, they wouldn' be hoult; 1 
 And every trennel and every boult 
 The best of stuff. Aw, clubbed together, 
 And bound to have it, and didn' considher 
 The 'spense nor nothin not a fig ! 
 And three lugs at her that was the rig 
 And raked a bit, three reg'lar scutchers, 
 1 Held = restrained.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 139 
 
 And carried her canvas like a ducherss. 1 
 
 Aw, the Docthor could handle her like a Briton 
 
 But the beauty of that boat was the sittin 
 
 Like a duck ! Aw, none of your trimmin sort 
 
 This way, that way ; a pig 2 to port ; 
 
 A pig to starboard; shiftin aft; 
 
 Shiftin forward! They're makin me laugh, 
 
 Them chaps with their yachts, the onaisy they are ! 
 
 And the delicate and the particular! 
 
 Chut ! the trim is in the boat ! 
 
 Ballast away ! but the trim's in the float 
 
 In the very make of her ! That's the trimmin ! 
 
 And, by gough, it's the same with men and women ; 
 
 For, look here ! if a man But, bless my soul ! 
 
 What's the odds ! I'm runnin foul 
 
 Altogether, and no time to lose ; 
 
 But " Forge ahead ! " says Billy Baroose. 
 
 So the Docthor come to live at the Lhen, 
 1 Duchess. 2 Pigs of iron for ballast.
 
 140 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Where I tould ye there, just at the end; 
 
 Lek in the varginity l of the shore ; 
 
 And the mortal 2 brass plate upon the door, 
 
 And " Docthor Bell "aw, a foot at laste 
 
 Chut ! I tell ye, a credit to the place ! 
 
 And a lot of letters statin what 
 
 And who, and a member of this and that ! 
 
 Bless ye ! I don't understan' 
 
 Their capers ! Where's the divil that can ? 
 
 But the brass plate I think I should ; 
 
 Didn' I stick it all over with mud 
 One night, and took at 3 the Docthor and hauled 
 In at him there, and roared and bawled ! 
 But had to take it howsomdever 
 My gough ! the bitter ! but took it clever. 
 And out in the street, and cussed tremindjis ! 
 Aw, cussed the very door off the hinges ! 
 Cussed, I tell ye, aw, all I had 
 Through the keyhole, you know. Aw, very bad ! 
 1 Vicinity. 2 Splendid. 3 By.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 141 
 
 Well, the next thing the boat was goin a presentin; 
 
 And then our chaps was rather for slantin, 
 
 Bein very bashful for a job like yandher. 
 
 And a man they were callin " Nicky the Gander " 
 
 Was for havin a tea-party over it, 
 
 Bless your sowl! And the whole of the kit 
 
 Of the farmers' wives to be givin trays ! 
 
 And a band from Dhoolish ! He couldn' never 
 
 take aise, 1 
 
 Couldn' that chap, with his capers no ! 
 A fuss-rate man for the talkin though ! 
 But I've heard the all he got for his pain 
 Was " Nicky again ! Nicky again ! " 
 And laughin, roullin off the settle ; 
 And " Give Nicky his tea ! " and " Where's the 
 
 kettle?" 
 
 Poor little divil ! a weaver he was : 
 Small aw, small ; but as bould as brass ! 
 
 1 Be quiet.
 
 142 THE DOCTOR, 
 
 But it was the Pazon for all that done the deed, 
 
 And christened her the Friend in Need : 
 
 And a bottle of wine, and all correct 
 
 And somethin stronger I'll expect 
 
 And signin her there, like a baby ! And then, 
 
 " Hats off ! my lads ! " Amen ! Amen ! " 
 
 Says the clerk, very sollum. "Hip! hip! hip! hip! 
 
 Hoorah ! " says the chaps. " Let's give her the 
 
 dip ! " 
 
 And " One two three," and swings the boat ; 
 And in the water with her like a shot. 
 And "Make way for the Docthor!" and a desp'rate 
 
 crowd, 
 
 And the young wife steppin as proud as proud, 
 And linkin 1 there; and the chin goin cockin, 
 And heisin 3 the perricut to show her stockin, 
 Like any lady; and a plank, and pretendin 
 The freckened, you know; and goin a handin 
 Over the side at the Pazon; and a beautiful cushion 
 1 Taking his arm. : Raising.
 
 THE DOCTOR.- 143 
 
 In the stern-sheets there, and sittin and blushin. 
 
 Aw, happy ! I tell ye. And Harry Corrin 
 
 Aboard for a skipper sailin forrin, 
 
 Bless ye ! and sets the lugs, and away ! 
 
 And sails her up and down the bay. 
 
 And ould Kelly, they were sayin, was standin there ; 
 
 And they could hardly hould him but a bit of 
 
 prayer ; 
 
 But houldt ; ' and groans, and goes his ways ; 
 And "All is vanity!" he says. 
 
 Well childher come to the Docthor though, 
 Mary, the ouldest a gel you know; 
 And then a chap they were callin Will; 
 And then Miss Katty that's with him still 
 Much younger though, for Will and Mary 
 Was close together ; but the little faery 
 A name they had for Miss Katherine 
 Was years behind, just lek she'd bin 
 1 He was held, or prevented.
 
 144 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Run lek off another spool 
 Altogether ; and the yalla hair like gool 
 Aw, the Lord's own gool in the very warp of her, 
 Like strings, lek He'd tuk and made a harp of her' 
 For th' play up yandher, the way it's sayin 
 In Revelations playin, playin, 
 And the lovely twang goin plingpling pling; 
 And " Hallelujah to the King ! " 
 And all the sweet and all the wise 
 Blowin out in two big eyes 
 As blue and the little stalk of a body at her 
 Lek it's put to a flower to hould it batthar 1 
 Up to the sun; but stoops for all, 
 And hangs the head, and natheral; 
 For the sun is a bould thing anyway, 
 Aw, bould enough, and coorse at the play 
 But the little body! bless ye! the slandharst 2 
 You ever like these polyanthars 
 Convolv'lars deep in the throat, you know, 
 1 Better. 2 Slenderest.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 145 
 
 And the honey guggling down below ; 
 And the bumbees snugglin there, and pokin 
 Their nozzles in, and soakin, 1 soakin, 
 And clartin 2 their legs as sticky as glue ; 
 And a pleasant sound they're makin too 
 And sip and sip what they call egsthractin 
 Bless me ! the pretty them critters is actin ? 
 But bumbees bumbees! and in and out, 
 
 And soakin What am I talkin about? 
 
 Little Miss Katty ! Aye ! aye ! aye ! 
 
 Little Miss Katty. Aw, well I could cry 
 
 To think of that little thing the forsaken 
 
 She was at them there, and the way she'd be 
 
 takin 3 
 
 Far over though to the end of the sands ; 
 And the feet, and the little ankle-bands 
 Slip slip slippin, or gettin stuck 
 Altogether in the muck, 
 
 And scoopin it out with some shell or another, 
 1 Sucking. 2 Dirtyia 3 Going. 
 
 L
 
 146 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And freckened she'd be took at l the mother. 
 
 Aw, dear the little lonely thing, 
 
 Just like a bird with a broken wing ; 
 
 And the lookin up, and the little eye, 
 
 Lek axin the for 2 it cannot fly, 
 
 And divil the one of the rest '11 stay with it 
 
 The dirty things that used to play with it. 
 
 Fowls is very bad at that; 
 
 I don't know about gulls, but lekly not, 
 
 That's a dale more innocenter altogether, 
 
 Bein strong, and free, and used of the weather. 
 
 Poor little thing the droopin lek, 
 
 And the wondrin why ! It 'd 'a made ye sick, 
 
 The servant was tellin, the way she was knockin 3 
 
 About at them there aw, boosely * shockin ! 
 
 At the Doctor? No! but the mother! Aye ! 
 
 The mother bless ye ! aw, never say die ! 
 
 i Punished by. 2 The reason why. 
 
 8 Being knocked. 4 Beastly = abominable.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 14? 
 
 You were talkin of blood then what's your shout l 
 To kickin, I wonder ! Chut ! Ger out ! 
 Kickin, and givin her over the head 
 With a rowlin-pin that's what the woman said- 
 And lookin like it. Bruk 2 complete 
 Reglar bruk ! And was she gettin mate 
 I don't raelly know the little bud ! 
 Aw, the withered yes! You were talkin of blood! 
 Well, that's the woman ! Strict ! Not her ! 
 Treacle turned to vinegar 
 That's about it ! Strict 's no fool ; 
 There's stuff in Strict, that's got a rule 
 And works it, eh ! But yandher woman ! 
 Doeless, doeless, aw, doeless uncommon ! 
 Bless your sowl ! it wasn' in her 
 To be strict ; and of a manner 3 
 The stupidest people '11 be the crudest. 
 Reggilar just doeless, doeless ! 
 And was from the first, I'm tould ; but showin 
 1 What do you say. 2 Broken . 3 As a rule.
 
 148 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Some pride in herself, and for her to be goin 
 For a doctor's wife, and lovin the man, 
 Aw, I dessay lovin, aw, lovin him grand ! 
 Aw, aisy to think ; and buckin l up, 
 Aw, ye better believe it ! the very top 
 Of the tree was what she was lookin for 
 The Bishop, aye, and the Gdvenor, 
 The Deemsters and the Clerk of the Rowls, 
 Archdeacons, and that ! Aw, bless your sowls ! 
 The woman was rather short, that's it, 
 And couldn' put out the talk that was fit 
 For the lek of them ; nor didn' know 
 When to stop and when to go, 
 And chatter chatter chatter chatter, 
 And all the ladies laughin at her ; 
 And couldn see the fool she was ; 
 And the Docthor lookin very cross, 
 I'm tould ; and wouldn' do at all, 
 And the higher the flight the worse the fall ; 
 1 Sticking, pushing.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 149 
 
 And drew the game the soonest he could. 
 Now, what have you got to say about blood? 
 Chut ! whatever the milk is like the chase l is ; 
 So that's your aequal ! Go to blazes ! 
 
 But tried, though, hard, and wouldn' give in 
 
 Aw, obstinate astonishin ! 
 
 And I'm tould when she was puttin a sight on 2 
 
 Bigode, 
 
 She was fit enough to sweep the road, 
 The grand, aw bless ye ! Feathers flyin, 
 Like a paycock, all over her; and eyin 
 The midden, and sniffin, and houldin the scent 3 
 Disagusted, you know, and lek to faint. 
 And if a pig was kiliin, though, 
 Or a sheep the way with farmers, you know 
 Or dung puttin out, or the lek of yandher, 
 Aw, bless your soul ! it was fit to send her 
 In 'vulsions, aye! And "my narves!" she'd say; 
 
 1 Cheese. 2 Visiting. 3 Holding her nose.
 
 150 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 "My narves!" and the divil and all to pay. 
 And the mother and her had words, I belave, 
 About it there, and what would she have ? 
 And " ger * out ! " And raisonable too, 
 And wouldn' stand it ; and gave her the sthoo 3 
 Over the street, and "away with ye, then!" 
 And might have heard her at the Lhen. 
 
 Now, all the Docthor was wantin was only 
 
 Fair play for the woman, that 'd been very lonely 
 
 Sundherd from her own people, you see, 
 
 And makin no friends with the quality. 
 
 Fair play ! fair play ! and had it plenty ; 
 
 Fair play ! fair play ! and hardly twenty 
 
 Aw, had it enough, but wuss and wuss, 
 
 Till it's lek the Docthor saw he muss, 
 
 And dropt it altogether straight 3 
 
 Lek you'd do with a dog that wouldn' fight, 
 
 Or fightin awkward, and havn' a chance ; 
 
 1 Get. 2 Drove her. 3 Just.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 151 
 
 Aw, under your arm with the lek at once, 
 And pay the stakes, and cut away ! 
 You've drew the dog, that's all they can say. 
 And the divil looks foolish, but he knows what he's at, 
 He'll eat his supper, I'll bet you that. 
 
 Well, the Docthor drew his dog, for all ; 
 But very cheerful, I've heard them tell, 
 And kind ; and thinkin how would it be 
 When she'd have a little family : 
 Aye, and puttin his heart in it. 
 But yandher bogh 1 took a sulky fit, 
 And wouldn' care for nothin, I'm tould; 
 And wouldn' laugh, and wouldn' scowl ; 
 And wouldn' be sorry, and wouldn' be glad ; 
 And wouldn' be pleased, and wouldn' be mad ; 
 But just like a log of wood in the house 
 Aw, bless ye ! Give me any trouss, 2 
 That's got a taste of somethin at 3 her 
 
 1 That poor (creature). 2 Slut. 3 In, about.
 
 152 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 I don't regard is it sweet or bitter, 
 
 Or what ; but these pin-janes l of women, 
 
 That'll hardly look up when they hear ye comin, 
 
 And when ye'll kiss them, '11 put their cheek 
 
 Lek a stone, and hardly ever speak, 
 
 And never quick, and never slow, 
 
 Nor never even a bit of jaw 
 
 To freshen a man; but goin, goin; 
 
 And what they're thinkin you're never knowin, 
 
 But smoothed all over in sulks ! Aw, dart ! 2 
 
 It's like a slug going creepin over your heart. 
 
 Aw, avast with the lek ! Aw, give me a fight 
 
 A reg'lar rattler every night ! 
 
 And make it up ; and happy again ! 
 
 A man can't live upon pin-jane. 
 
 And there wasn' a thing the woman hadn' 
 Aw, he didn' spare, the Docthor didn', 
 To plaise her at all, aw, no, I'll swear ! 
 1 Curds-and-whey. 2 Drat it.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 153 
 
 A most beautiful parlour at her there; 
 
 The teens of pounds, I tell ye, the teens ; 
 
 And mahogany, like any queen's, 
 
 And a chandeleer just like an assimbly, 1 
 
 And a lookin-glass against the chimbly, 
 
 And the best of chayney; and silks and satins, 
 
 And a gool watch, bless ye ! and a pair of pattins ; 
 
 And all complete, I've heard them sayin 
 
 And how the divil could she complain? 
 
 And didn'; but you know their way 
 
 And the Docthor workin night and day, 
 
 And had enough to earn a livin 
 
 Betwix the Lhen and Derbyhaven : 
 
 And fo'ced to be away from home 
 
 For days; and the far 2 wasn' nothing to him, 
 
 But a horse, of coorse, and can't be kep' 
 
 On priddha 3 -peelins ; and havn' slep' 
 
 A week at a time, the Mountain Third 4 
 
 1 That of an assembly or ball-room. 2 Distance. 
 3 Potato. * A division of land.
 
 154 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And Ronnag way ; aw, workin hard. 
 And there's not much jink at the Ronnag chaps, 
 Nor the fishermen nither, but a goose perhaps, 
 Or a sheep, or a string of callag or blockin ; l 
 Just on the chance, and never knockin, 
 But in on the back-kitchen, you know, 
 And down with the lot, and away you go ; 
 No count nor bills, no tally nor check ; 
 But take your change out of yandher lek. 
 Aw, aisy ways ; the most you owed, 
 A ridge of priddhas, or a load 
 Of turf, and lave it at the door, 
 All right! And musn' be hard on the poor. 
 But had it, aye, and parfact willin, 
 Aw, value to the very last shilliri. 
 No doubt of that ; and swop is swop, 
 But you can't take a sheep to a draper's shop, 
 Nor yet a goose. D'ye hear him, Bill ? 
 The lek 2 goin kankin 3 into the till 
 1 Fish. 2 Such a creature. 3 Kank = note of the goose.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 155 
 
 Of coorse, of coorse ! That would be a caper ! 
 " Kank, kank ! " says the goose. "Ger out!" says 
 
 the draper. 
 
 Aw, dear ! aw, dear ! you'd be lookin silly 
 " Ger out ! " says he. Eh, Billy, Billy ? 
 
 But it's aisy obsarved that over yandher, 
 
 Sheep or shepherd, goose or gandhar; 
 
 And paid like that, the Docthor couldn' 
 
 Have very much over to go for puddin. 
 
 But done his best ; and goin still, 
 
 And as comfible as comfible ! 
 
 And no doubt the fish out of yandher boat 
 
 Would be lek to be puttin somethin to't. 
 
 I tould you the Docthor could manage her splendid ; 
 
 But pleasure mostly the way intended. 
 
 Then the childher come, you'll understand ! 
 
 And takin in a bit of land 
 
 About half an acre from Tommy Tite. 
 
 Aw, it's himself could fix it right
 
 156 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Cabbages and harbs, ye see, 
 Convenient for the 'spansary ! ] 
 All as nice, with painted rails, 
 And a limpy gull to work the snails, 
 And the Docthor delighted; but Misthress Bell 
 Well, you know, you couldn' hardly tell ; 
 Just souldjerin 2 up and down the walk, 
 And the foot like lead and the face like chalk. 
 Aw, I mind her myself, the long, and the skin 
 All drew 3 at her, but ouldher then. 
 
 But yandher two imps aw, Lord deliver ! 
 
 Was the two most desp'rate dtvils that ever ! 
 
 Aw, the cheek of the two ! You'll mind them 
 
 Ned; 
 
 And all the tricks and the capers they had ; 
 And the blackguard talk, and the imperince. 
 Aw, many a time I've thought of it since, 
 
 1 Dispensary. 2 Lounging (languid, dawdling). 
 
 3 Drawn = stretched tightly.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 157 
 
 Where did they get it, for it wasn' cussin 
 
 And swearin only till they were bussin ! l 
 
 I don't know for the cussin was the gel so bad, 
 
 But I believe in spert 2 she was wuss till the lad. 
 
 But it wasn' the cussin, for all, so much, 
 
 Nor the blackguard talk bein used of such 
 
 But the imp'rince, and the monkey tricks, 
 
 And the mockin, aye; and 'd cut their sticks 
 
 Like the mischief, and the innocent face, 
 
 If you caught them ; but give them the smallest 
 
 'crease, 3 
 
 My gough ! the abuse ! and then " Three cheers ! " 
 And the stones comin flying about your ears ; 
 And laughin, and away they goes, 
 And cockin the finger to the nose ! 
 Aw, nath'ral divils, brew or bake, 
 Aw, natheral ; and no mistake ! 
 Natheral; so who's to blame? 
 But there was terrible little done for them 
 1 Bursting. 2 Spirit 3 Increase = start.
 
 1 58 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Terrible ! for the Docthor couldn', 
 
 Bein much from home ; and the misthress wouldn' 
 
 Just starin at them like a cow, 
 
 And them carryin on goodness knows how. 
 
 And stealin, I tell ye, all over the place, 
 
 And darin the woman to her face. 
 
 And when they had nothin else to do, 
 
 They'd stick to and pinch one another black and 
 
 blue, 
 
 And rag and fight, and the crockery flyin 
 Like dust betwix them; and the mother eyein 
 The pair, and " Stop your noise ! " she'd say, 
 And never mindin, and tearin away, 
 That should have been took across her knee, 
 And whipped of coorse immadiently. 
 Aw, I've hommered that little chap, I have, 
 And the hard and the tough, you wouldn' belave ; 
 And never give in, but out with the tong, 1 
 J Tongue.
 
 THE DOCTOR 159 
 
 And hiss like a serpent, and as strong as strong, 
 
 Like iron on the anvil just. 
 
 And I tould the mother herself I must; 
 
 For the little divil was at me still, 
 
 And " If you'll not do it," I says, " I will " 
 
 And bedad I did, and before herself too, 
 
 And hommered him well; but, all I could do, 
 
 The very next minute he was over the wall, 
 
 And cussin as hard as he could bawl; 
 
 And sticks and stones and sludge and muck, 
 
 Aw, the two of us, I tell ye, had to duck; 
 
 And says she, " It's all your fault," she says ! 
 
 "Why couldn you leave him alone at the fess?" 1 
 
 But the Doctor wasn' knowin half 
 The bad they were; for they'd plenty of craft 
 Them two ; and the mother wouldn' tell : 
 And he was terrible fond, was Doctor Bell, 
 Of the childher, and makin some sort of life 
 1 First.
 
 160 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 In the house, and a kind of a change from the wife, 
 
 That'd sit like a block, and them all springs, 
 
 And lookin little innocent things 
 
 Enough, but artful, artful still, 
 
 And takin advantage terrible. 
 
 Aw, well, I've nothing to say agen him, 
 
 For the blood of a rael man's heart was in him ; 
 
 And that's the thing to make others good 
 
 Aw, never spare it ! heart's blood, heart's blood ! 
 
 That's the stuff, I tell ye then, 
 
 That '11 search the souls of the sons of men ; 
 
 More preciouser till any pearl, 
 
 Or ruby the very juice of the world, 
 
 That keeps its veins from runnin dry, 
 
 And tickles its ould ribs with joy, 
 
 And sin and sorrow, but never mind ! 
 
 A power to make us sweet and kind 
 
 In Jesus' heart the stream began, 
 
 But it's in the heart of every man ; 
 
 Isn' it, boys ? Am I preachin now ?
 
 THE DOCTOR. 161 
 
 A\v, well ; I'll drop it, but you'll all allow 
 
 The Docthor hadn' much chance to order 
 
 Them childher aright ; so I'll not go furder. 
 
 But that wasn' much of a nest, you know, 
 
 For a little thing to be born into, 
 
 Like yandheri I was tellin you of 
 
 The youngest eh? Not very soft 
 
 Nor warm, it's lek ; no moss, nor wool 
 
 Bless my heart, the beautiful ! 
 
 Goolfmches, you know, and the lek of them ; 
 
 Yellowhommers, too, is much the same. 
 
 But aisy ! aisy ! What am I talkin ? 
 Poor little Kattie. Before she was walkin, 
 Them two was at her just like from heaven 
 A little angel took and given 
 To them two divils a purpose to treat her 
 Most boos'ly ! 2 Aw, the little craythur ! 
 She hadn' no life with them from the fess; 3 
 1 That one. : Beastly = abominably. 3 First.
 
 1 62 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And the mother encouragin them in it yes ! 
 
 Encouragin for, as I'm a sinner, 
 
 Aw, there was something woke a spirit in her 
 
 At last, I tell ye. Let be ! let be ! 
 
 But a spirit of hate and misery 
 
 A spirit that crawled in her soul, and spat 
 
 God save our souls from a spirit like that ! 
 
 Hard! it was hard very hard for some, 
 
 But I tell you how the spirit come. 
 
 A week or two after Miss Katty was born, 
 
 There was a letter, you know, that was evident 
 
 forV 
 
 And the Docthor from home ; so opens it, 
 Bein curious. And what was there writ, 
 Do ye think now, in the letter there ? 
 It was from his ould sweetheart ; aw dear, aw 
 
 dear ! 
 
 It was though, sure enough ; aw 'deed ! z 
 It was from her, the very screed. 3 
 
 1 Foreign. 2 Aw, indeed=yes, really. 3 Handwriting.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 163 
 
 And Sir John was dead ; and was he the same 
 
 As ever ? and willin to change her name 
 
 Torectly y 1 and off'rin heart and hand 
 
 The talk they have, you'll understand. 
 
 And the money, bless ye, and the proppity, 
 
 And everythin ; but that wouldn' be 
 
 Wrote there of course. The gel 'd know better 
 
 Aw, a modest, lovin, beautiful letter ! 
 
 And maybe there's women that 'd 'a seen the thing, 
 
 And pitied the two, and took the ring 
 
 Off their finger, and said " I know 
 
 All ! Take this ! take this, and go ! " 
 
 Not him ! but on with it again, 
 
 And swears for ever and ever, Amen ; 
 
 And clasps her to his heart, Good Lord ! 
 
 And not another word ! not another word ! 
 
 But trust, and hope, and confidence 
 
 Some people you see has got the sense. 
 
 1 Directly.
 
 164 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 So the Docthor came home, and in from the stable, 
 And the letter a' purpose on the table, 
 Open, you know (she'd took and read it 
 To the servant aye ! you'd hardly credit ! 
 Never was a lady, and never would be. 
 To the servant, I tell ye, as nice as could be : 
 Aye, and tould her to watch him, too, 
 To see whatever he would do). 
 But the Docthor had shut the door, she found; 
 And listened and listened, but never a sound 
 For hours ; and tried the door at last, 
 But locked at 1 him, bless ye, and boulted fast. 
 It'd be daylight when he came out of yandher, 3 
 though, 
 
 And up the stairs, but very slow ; 
 
 And in on the room where the wife was lyin, 
 
 And fast asleep, and the baby cryin ; 
 
 And put the letter on her breast; 
 
 And took the child and kissed, and kissed 
 1 By. 2 There.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 165 
 
 The little thing, and hushed it grand ; 
 
 And put it back to the mother again 
 
 And out and down, and saddled the hoss, 
 
 And away with him, like an albatross : 
 
 And up to the Mooragh, and seen at l a chap 
 
 That was cutting turf, and "Stop! man, stop!" 
 
 But never a word, but on and on, 
 
 And his face was fixed on the risin sun 
 
 The straight you'll see a pigeon flyin, 
 
 Lek drew to the art 2 where his love is lyin. 
 
 But when the day was rose, he turned, 
 
 And the fire that was in his heart had burned 
 
 Itself away, and dropped the rein, 
 
 And very slow, and home again; 
 
 And up to the wife; and just one look 
 
 Betwixt the two, and the nither spoke, 
 
 And the letter crumpled in the clothes, 
 
 And her eye that hard the way a man knows 
 
 She knows the look that leaves no doubt, 
 
 1 By. 2 Point of the compass, plac"
 
 1 66 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 The last dead light of love gone out. 
 
 So he left her straight; 1 but from that day 
 He wasn' the same man anyway. 
 But as for her, she didn' bother 
 Much about him, bein able to smother 
 Her soul complete, or maybe for spite 
 I don't know, and it's hardly right 
 To condemn the woman. She done her part 
 The best she could. God knows the heart 
 God knows the heart, but only one thing, 
 She shouldn' ha' took out of that young thing ; 
 But did. Aw, did ; and shameful to her, 
 And wouldn' give her suck no more, 
 Lek wantin the very milk that was in her 
 To turn to stone. And thinner and thinner 
 The little darlin, and cries and cries, 
 And the dead light in the mother's eyes 
 Lek stupid with the heaviness 
 1 At once.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 167 
 
 Of hate that was swimmin in her breast, 
 
 And cloggin her head, and turnin the strain 
 
 Of love, till it was bitter again. 
 
 Aw, she did hate her though, she did; 
 
 And them two imps as glad as glad. 
 
 And pettin them, and cockin them up, 
 
 And encouragin them; and that young pup 
 
 Aw, it's well he's a head on his shouldhers now, 
 
 If so be he has, for I've made a vow 
 
 Many a time, and swore it hard, 
 
 I'd have his life, and didn' regard 
 
 If I'd be hung for the pleasure it'd be 
 
 To sarve him out for his villany. 
 
 Aw, 'deed it 'd 'a l been well if he'd been took in 
 
 time, 
 
 For the divil had the seed of every crime 
 And every wickedness deep within him ! 
 Aw, if ever the ould sarpint brewed his venom 
 But wait a bit! You'll hear before long. 
 1 It would have.
 
 1 68 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And a say is a say, and a song is a song. 
 
 Now, this foolish mother she stuck to them 
 
 Through fair and foul, but special him. 
 
 I don't know did she think they were more of 
 
 her own,. 
 
 Flesh of her flesh, and bone of her bone, 
 Because the two of them come to her 
 When she was what you might call happier; 
 At laste, you know, lek enjoyin her helf, 1 
 And havin her husband to herself: 
 And little Katty was lek she'd been sent 
 To mind her of the different. 
 Lek say in " Look ! I come the year 
 The letter come ! " Aw, dear aw, dear ! 
 Whose fault, whose fault is things like these ? 
 Well, I suppose, they're nobody's. 
 And very likely it wasn' that, 
 But just lek brewin in a vat 
 1 Health.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 169 
 
 For years the stupid and the cruel 
 
 Till somethin '11 stir this divil's gruel, 
 
 Lek the letter, you know, from the Docthor's ould 
 
 lover, 
 
 And frothin up, and boilin over. 
 Not much lek the pool that's wrote 
 In the Bible there, and porches to't 
 Bethesda, wasn' it? And an angel comin 
 Down on a slant, and the water hummin, 
 And if you could get a chap to put you in, 
 You were healed directly of anythin. 
 Aye, but Mrs. Bell, I'll swear, 
 There wasn' much Bethesda in her ; 
 But rather like one of these mucky dubs, 
 Where there's nothin takin 1 but worms and grubs, 
 Or maybe a leech '11 bite for a change. 
 Aw, some of these women is very strange ! 
 
 And now it was, as you may think, 
 1 Living.
 
 1 70 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 The Docthor took very hard to the dhrink. 
 A\v, hard enough ! And fell, and fell, 
 The way I tould you. Poor Docthor Bell ! 
 And agein ! You wouldn' believe the agein. 
 And them two divils, lek their name was legion, 
 Was wuss till ever, 1 havin nothin to hould them, 
 And goin to destruction ; and I've often told them, 
 But cockin the head as proud as proud, 
 And as saucy, and talkin very loud. 
 And her like a flint. Aw, bould most horrid, 
 Ye might have struck fire out of her forehead. 
 And when they grew up the boy was a rael 
 Unwholsome lookin thing; but the gel 
 Aw, 'deed she was handsome, 'deed she was ! 
 Handsome, you know, like a vicious hoss, 
 And a fire in her eye that was never straight, 
 But sideways lek, lek goin to bite. 
 And built to a dot. Aw, a splendid craythur 
 I tell ye, if it hadn' been for her naythur ; 
 1 Worse than ever.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 171 
 
 That was the divil itself. Aw, the tearin 
 
 They had, them too; and the mockin and jeerin, 
 
 And every trick. They got a gun 
 
 Betwixt them, and what do you think they done ? 
 
 Climbed up our roof aw, she could do it nimbly 
 
 And took and fired it down the chimbly. 
 
 And the soot comin down in sheets ; and the broth 
 
 All spoilt ; and mother fit to froth 
 
 At the mouth with rage, and took a hatchet. 
 
 " By gough," says I, " it's now you'll catch it." 
 
 But charged 1 so quick as they were able, 
 
 And let drive again behind the gable. 
 
 " Come here," says mother, " and I'll give you your 
 
 lickins ! 
 
 Come here," says she, " ye divil's chickens ! " 
 " Good evenin ! Mrs. Baynes," says they, 
 And laughs, and laughs, and cuts away. 
 And no chance with them ; and took in their head 
 They'd hev some rael shootin, bedad. 
 
 1 Loaded again.
 
 172 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And started one of these misty nights 
 To shoot the turkeys at Tommy Tite's, 
 That was goin a roostin in the trees. 
 Aye, they did ; and one apiece, 
 And the other well, I'll not be denyin, 
 Sure enough the other was mine. 
 Coaxin hard. And " Don't be cross ! " 
 And fond enough of a lark as it was, 
 Let alone a turkey; but chased at a dog, 
 And had to hide for hours in a bog, 
 Where the sallies l was growin very thick. 
 And out come Hal, and out come Dick ; 
 And lights goin flittin around the farm, 
 And the three with a turkey under their arm. 
 But stuck to them. My gough ! the cheek ! 
 And turkey for supper for a week. 
 And the lies that was tould over yandher. Well 
 And nobody knew but the servant gel, 
 That was a bit of a divil herself, I belave, 
 1 Osiers.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 173 
 
 And kept it as secret as the grave. 
 
 And once they took up with some gipsies there, 
 Sthroullers, you know, that come to the feer 1 
 And tents goin fixin on the Head 
 A stinkin lot as ever was bred 
 Your reglar boosely, thievin tramp 
 Till the village took and mobbed the camp, 
 And wouldn' have them. That's the surt ! 
 And them to take up with such abslit dirt. 
 Aw, if that wasn' the very high road to ruin ! 
 And nobody noticin what they were doin, 
 Nor their hours, nor nothin, except me indeed, 
 That was took for a time to clane and feed 
 The Doctor's horse, that was bad to keck, 2 
 And runnin arrins 3 and jobbin lek 
 And mindin* me how yandher divil 
 Come in the stable one night as civil 
 You wouldn' think what was he schamin there, 
 1 Fair. 2 Kick. 3 Errands. 4 Which reminds me.
 
 174 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And me just rubbin down the meer, 
 
 And a jenny nettle, and poppin it 
 
 Under her tail, and turned and bit 
 
 Most savage, just, in the thick of the shoulder; 
 
 But, before he was a minute ouldher, 
 
 I let him have the curry 2 hot 
 
 In the ribs, and down with him like a shot. 
 
 Took up with the gipsies, didn' I say? 
 
 Yes, by gough, and stayed away 
 
 The best part of a week, and carryin on 
 
 Like the very deuce aw, the divil's own fun 
 
 Cards and dancin there, and raggin, 
 
 And a bottle at him and shoutin and braggin, 
 
 And her with her face all painted lek, 
 
 And her hair goin flying about her neck, 
 
 That she wouldn' be knowed, and actual stopped 
 
 The Doctor hisself! Aw, well, that topped 
 
 Everything ! aw, certain ! certain ! 
 
 1 Mare. 2 Curry-comb.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 175 
 
 And axed him would she tell his fortune. 
 You'd hardly believe ! and a pipe in her cheek 
 Aye, staid with them there the best part of a week ; 
 And me that freckened, for I couldn' tell what 
 Would ever come of work like that 
 Knowin gipsies, and the tricks they have 
 Tricks ! aw, bless your soul you'll get lave ; ' 
 Tricks indeed and went up to try 
 Could I coax them home; and fit to cry. 
 And him as drunk he could hardly stand, 
 And her with a face as black as tan, 
 And the eyes the wicked stuff they were brewin, 
 Like mixin pison with the moon, 
 That was very clear and full that night. 
 Aw, it wasn' no use, though I had a fight 
 With a gipsy chap, and fair play showed 
 Aw, there's no mistake ; and took the road 
 Clane bet, and feelin rather rummy, 
 Aw, a smart lad that ! and my face in mummy 
 1 You may say what you like.
 
 1 76 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 He could work the fist, that devil, he could ; 
 But another round but where's the good ? 
 
 And the Doctor was terrible on the spree 
 That time ; so it's only the mother it'd be, 
 And her, well of coorse ! and maybe thought 
 They were at Bigode ; but, whether or not, 
 No notice taken till the neighbours cryin 
 Shame on such conduct, and was he blind? 
 And this and that, till at last the father, 
 Poor man, was forced, you know, to gather 
 His wits the best way he could, and go 
 And had them home immadient though. 
 But that's the time the men gave chase, 
 And druv them vagabones out of the place. 
 And not much better, you'll be thinking, bedad, 
 For a spree like that. But the talk they had 
 When they come back, and the gibberish ! 
 Aw, well really I would wish 
 You'd heard them another speech, by jingo !
 
 THE DOCTOR. 177 
 
 You couldn' understand the half of their lingo 
 Not the half! 
 
 But poor little Kitty ! 
 
 Bless me, the divil would have felt some pity 
 For that little craythur, that was natheral sweet 
 And good, the child ! And the mother 'd see 't, 
 Aye plain enough, but wouldn' regard. 
 And all the bad things she shouldn' have heard 
 She had to hear, and trimblin then 
 Aw, God is good to such, my men ! 
 And angels puts their wings around 
 The lek of yandher, I'll be bound; 
 Aw, there's some sort of music playin in them 
 That's got a power to defend them 
 And makin that they're hardly knowin 
 The sin and wickedness that's goin. 
 And the biggest rascal you ever knew 
 I believe 'd been freckened of them two.
 
 1 78 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And Miss Kitty 'd often be coming to me 
 
 In the stable, and puttin her head on my knee, 
 
 Like a little lamb, and I'd coax her there 
 
 The best I could, and sthroogh the hair, 
 
 And comfort her lek, and her goin sobbin 
 
 And shivrin, and the little heart throbbin 
 
 Against my leg. And I'd be tellin her tales 
 
 I was makin about little boys and gels 
 
 Just some little bit of a story 
 
 Quite simple how they were took to glory 
 
 Urrov 1 all the trouble; or about the sea, 
 
 And the fishes just comfortin her that way; 
 
 And the lovely flowers that was growin down 
 
 The deep no line could ever sound ; 
 
 And the mermaids, and the way they were singin ; 
 
 And the little bells going ding-a-lingin 
 
 On the Flakes. 2 And then she'd lift the head, 
 
 And the wondrin baby eyes all spread 
 
 Like primroses when the air is sunny, 
 
 1 Out of. 2 Patches of sand among rocks under water.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 179 
 
 And draws them out. Aw, it's then the bonny 
 
 She looked, and forgettin all the sorrar. 1 
 
 And then I'd be makin cat's cradles for her, 
 
 Or the like of that. And she'd play as nice, 
 
 And laugh; and tamin little mice, 
 
 Aw, she could do well with the lek o' that, 
 
 And terrible watchful of the cat ! 
 
 Or she'd take my hand, and away she'd trot 
 
 To a little meadow the Doctor 'd got 
 
 On the river ; and the questions she'd ax 
 
 Astonishin ! Aw, fit to perplax 
 
 The Pazon ; and gathrin yalla lilies, 
 
 And these little kittlins 3 that's growin on the sallies, 
 
 Like velvet that smooth Aw, you couldn' tell 
 
 The putty, 3 and liftin for me to smell. 
 
 And, now and then, of a Sunday, you know, 
 We'd get lave at 4 the misthris ; and off we'd go 
 To the Brew, for her to be with Betsy 
 1 Sorrow. 2 Kittens, catkins. 3 How pretty. 4 From.
 
 i8o THE DOCTOR. . 
 
 J ust for a bit our little Petsy 
 We were callin her; and sittin beside the river, 
 Aw, bless ye ! the loveliest thing you ever 
 The pecther ! * Well I've got behind 
 A tree I have, but never mind 
 Just to look, and them not knowin. 
 And I tell ye the slush of tears 'd be goin 
 Down my cheek, and laenin my face 
 Against that tree Aw, the lovely peace, 
 And the holy lek, till were we livin 
 Or dead, and the lot of us in heaven, 
 It was hard to say the love, the love ! 
 Oh, the beautiful Oh, Father above ! 
 Wrapped in her very heart, and she'd rock 
 Her to sleep, and smooth the little frock, 
 And put her down on the nice soft moss 
 And then it was my turn, it was 
 Mine Aw, the years ! but every kiss 
 She'd turn to see was there nothin amiss 
 1 Picture.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 181 
 
 With the child, and her as fast as fast; 
 And the shaddhers dapplin on the grass 
 And the still, the still; and sweet Sunday light 
 All siftin through the place, and the light 
 To my heart ; and hope and happiness 
 In every breath ; but God knows best 
 What is the best ; and, as it's say in, 
 He'll make it plain he'll make it plain ! 
 
 Well, at last the mistress took and died 
 On the sudden ; and the Pazon tried 
 What could he do with the Doctor, for all, 1 
 And very willin for him to call 
 And talkin and reasonin a dale 
 Aw, he was good company was Pazon Gale. 
 And sober enough, and much respec' 
 For the Pazon, and humble and quiet lek. 
 But afore they were done, he'd work it, you know, 
 Till the Pazon was terrible put to, 
 1 However.
 
 1 82 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And couldn' manage the Doctor, however, 
 
 For bless ye, ye see, the man was clever ; 
 
 Aw, it's clever shockin was the man ; 
 
 And the Pazon 'd rather for him to go on, 
 
 And wonderful talk, and glad to listen 
 
 He said it was mortal interestin, 
 
 The Pazon said ; and that tender-hearted, 
 
 And come to convert ; but liker converted. 
 
 Not the drink ! chut ! not the drink ; 
 
 But the Doctor had notions you couldn' think, 
 
 And strange, and off the common rather, 
 
 And beat the Pazon altogether. 
 
 But for all the proud and the clever as well, 
 
 He sent that very night for Fell 
 
 Ruchie, you know the ould man I tould ye; 
 
 Aw, he did, sent for him, behould ye ! 
 
 And prayer at the two, and left him prayin 
 
 Anyway that's what the people was sayin : 
 
 And lek enough, for the head '11 be high, 
 
 And axin for and axin why ;
 
 THE DOCTOR. 183 
 
 But the heart '11 be sad, and longin for grace, 
 
 Or anythin that '11 give it aise 
 
 Lek you'll see a mountain with the bare bould rock 
 
 Coin up to meet the tempest's shock, 
 
 And the night is on its head lek a crown ; 
 
 And the sky all frost ; but lower down 
 
 He's got the kerns, 1 and he's got the firs, 
 
 And the veins that 's in his big heart stirs 
 
 With the strength of streams, and the soft sweet 
 
 air 
 Well, that was like the Doctor's prayer. 
 
 I don't know did it last till Monday, 
 But they got him to church on the mournin Sun- 
 day 
 
 Very nice, and the childher too; 
 And the best of mournin, and all of it new ; 
 And if ever there was a black snowdrop in, 2 
 That's what Miss Katty was favourin 3 
 
 1 Mountain ashes. 2 In existence. 3 Like.
 
 1 84 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Nice little things peepin out of the grass 
 But the other two was as bould as brass, 
 And cockin the nose, and tossin the book, 
 Till the Pazon himself begun to look, 
 -And his vice all trimblin, and his eyes all wet ; 
 And then they tried to behave a bit. 
 
 Well, then, the Doctor got terrible bad, 
 
 And the life yandher little Katty had, 
 
 And growin, you know, for they will, aye, aye ! 
 
 But very awkward lek, and shy. 
 
 And the Doctor says to me one day, 
 
 He says (we were fishin out in the bay), 
 
 " Tom ! you're a dacent sort of a chap 
 
 Would you mind givin a look if yandher sthrap 
 
 Of a sarvint is puttin too much upon 
 
 Little Katty," he said ; and then he begun 
 
 And the brother and the sister, too ; 
 
 And the knockin about and the black and the blue 
 
 With the thumpins at them. And would /, then ?
 
 THE DOCTOR. 185 
 
 So I said, Yes, and he might depend. 
 
 Never fear ! So it's a bite he had, 
 
 And hauled. And nothing more was said. 
 
 So many a time when the tide'd be flowin 
 
 Up to the boat, I'd be takin and goin 
 
 In on the back-kitchen at them 1 there, 
 
 And never the one of them down the stair 
 
 But little Katty; and at it hard, 
 
 And scrubbin and scourin out the yard. 
 
 Aw, scrubbin to the very scraper, 
 
 And the little knees just wore to paper. 
 
 Or down in the cendhars, 2 and the little back 
 
 Just broke at her, and as black as black. 
 
 And the bellows in bits, and puvvin 3 and puwin 
 
 With the little cheeks. Aw, you couldn' help lovin 
 
 The boghee veg. 4 And never a string 
 
 Tied in her frock the little thing 
 
 1 Their back-kitchen. 2 Cinders. 3 Puffing. 
 
 4 Poor little thing.
 
 1 86 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Behind, you know. And the little stays, 
 
 And all to that ; l and the little ways, 
 
 And rubbin her eyes, the full of sleep. 
 
 And the shamed; and "Dear! I'm like a sweep !" 
 
 Aw, the neglected. Aw, scand'lous, though ! 
 
 Scandalous ! And me turnin to 
 
 To light the fire ; and gettin some sticks 
 
 Out of the stable. And her to fix 
 
 The tay. And me with a besom sweepin 
 
 Fuss-rate. And the trouss 2 of a sarvint creepin 
 
 Down, like a cat ; and the imprint ! Aye ! 
 
 And the sauce ! And laughin fit to die. 
 
 And little Katty, turn'd to the shelf, 
 
 And pinched but 3 laughin a bit herself, 
 
 The foolish I'd look, but maenin well ! 
 
 Aw, she was a darlin little thing, was Katty Bell. 
 
 And the lot of them snorin overhead 
 Like bulls of Bashan, and their tay in bed ! 
 1 So forth. 2 Slut. 3 Almost.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 187 
 
 Took to them, you know. And 'd roor 
 
 That sudden, and hammerin on the floor. 
 
 And Quick quick quick! And catchin up 
 
 And flyin. And " Give us yandher cup ! " 
 
 The dirts ! But when they were satisfied 
 
 Of coorse dependin on the tide, 
 
 And no hurry, you know I'd be takin a smook, 
 
 And little Miss Katty 'd be havin a book 
 
 And readin to me. Aw, beautiful readin ! 
 
 Beautiful ! And never needin 
 
 To do the big spells. And eyein me 
 
 O' one side, now and then, to see 
 
 Was I listenin. And that big slut 
 
 Hookin herself, and bitendin l not 
 
 The sarvint, you know. And the dirty mob 
 
 Of a cap that was at her aw, a reglar slob ! 
 
 Well, that's the way she got that free 
 And trustful lek, you know, with me, 
 1 Pretending.
 
 1 88 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 That there wasn' no trouble at her whatever 
 But Tom must know. "Aw, Tom is clever," 
 She'd say. And 'deed I was, surprisin 
 I was though ; and mortal l for advisin. 
 
 And now I'll tell you the way it was, 
 And what them divils came to at last. 
 You see, this Willy Bell was bad 
 To the very backbone; and the schoolin he had 
 Done him no good, nor like to do 
 Just a quarter, or maybe two, 
 At the Cullige 2 there; and sthroullin about 
 All hours, and goin a turnin out 
 At 3 the masther, that wouldn' have the lek ; 
 And no raison he would, for you couldn' expec'. 
 That was the schoolin; but nathral sharp 
 And clever. And only for the warp 
 Of the divil that was in the very stuff of him, 
 They'd have made a handy man enough of him. 
 1 Wonderful. 2 College. 8 By.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 189 
 
 But the dirty turn-out; 1 and must try and look 
 
 big, 
 
 And up and got the Bigode's ould gig, 
 And a coult that had hardly a shoe to his foot, 
 And the Docthor's mare, and to they were put 
 The way two hosses 2 'd be goin a yockin 
 To a cart, and smackin the whip, and cockin 
 The hat o' one side ; and her with a thing 
 Like a bugle, and blowin astonishin ! 
 And the pair like brass ; and the fuss-rate it 'd be 
 To go down to the Cullige, and let them see / 
 And started, I tell ye, from the Lhen, 
 And into the hedge and out again, 
 And scorin all the road like a herrin, 
 Till they come to the Ballabeg ; and gerrin 3 
 Locked with the Port-le-Moirey car. 
 Aw, then the cussin and the war ! 
 And capsizin in the ditch ; and chat ! 4 
 
 1 Disgraceful expulsion. 2 Tandem. 
 
 3 Getting. 4 Chut = tut!
 
 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 There 'd be pounds there depend on that ! 
 
 And the little stasha 1 under the nose, 
 
 And, my gough ! the tasty about the clothes, 
 
 And gettin them from Douglas aye ! 
 
 Aw, wouldn' be bet. Aw, as high as high ! 
 
 Just tip-top ; and a weskit there 
 
 Like these divils of play-acthors you'll see at a 
 
 fair 
 
 All colours, I tell ye ! Aw, the chap had notions, 
 'Deed he had ; and the talk, and the motions, 
 And the ring on the finger aw, complate ! 
 The buck all over fuss-rate ! fuss-rate ! 
 And often over in Dhoolish ; 2 and snakin 
 About the Barracks, and goin a takin 
 In at 3 the officers, and lar 4 him 
 Drink hisself blind, and laughin arrim 5 
 Just for a fool ; and not satisfied, 
 But 'd be more till that aw, the divil's pride ! 
 
 1 Mustachio. 2 Douglas. 3 By. 
 
 They let. 6 At him.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 191 
 
 And who he was, and who he knew, 
 And what he 'd done, and what he could do, 
 And hintin, and allis stand by his fren\ 
 And the sthrappin gels there was at the Lhen ; 
 And intarmined, 1 you know, he'd make them con- 
 fess 
 He was wicked enough whatever he was. 
 
 So one of them divils come over to see, 
 
 Just for a bit o' curosity, 
 
 It's lek; and, for all the capers he had, 
 
 I believe the lad was a dacent lad. 
 
 But they nailed him aye ! Aw, they worked him 
 
 well 
 
 He was the boy that could do it, was Willy Bell. 
 And terrible rich, and the money flyin, 
 And in at the Bull, and all enjoyin 
 Theirselves though, grand ; and him with the puss 3 
 Standin trate for the lot of us. 
 
 1 Determined. 2 Purse.
 
 192 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And Miss Mary soon got agate of him 
 With her gipsy tricks. Aw, well she could trim 
 The bait ; and I tould ye, didn' I ? 
 The beauty she was ; aw, ye couldn' deny 
 But, aw dear, such beauty ! where do they gerrit ? l 
 Lek it would be an evil sperrit 
 Had stole a body that was goin a makin - 
 For a pious pessin, and so it'll be takin 
 All the sweet and all the gud 
 Urrov 3 things, and soakin them into the blood, 
 And growin and lookin lovely, but still 
 It come from hell, and it'll go to hell 
 But maybe not aw, lave it alone ! 
 It's lek the divil knows his own ; 
 And anyway we havin got no call, 
 For God hisself is workin all. 
 
 And there's odds of beauty, and for all the brazen, 
 You couldn' help it aw, amazin ! 
 For she'd keep the eyes upon you, ye know, 
 1 Get it. 8 Being made. z Out of.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 193 
 
 And the deep light gatherin there as slow, ', 
 
 Like tricklin into a bowl, till she'd fill it 
 
 Full to the brim, and then she'd spill it 
 
 Right in your face. Aw, ye'd need to be stones, 
 
 For she'd melt the marrow in your bones 
 
 The divil ! Aw, many's the time she 's made me 
 
 Trimble all over lek she'd flayed me, 
 
 With the fire of her look aye ! aye ! my men, 
 
 And me, that hated her like sin ! 
 
 But this young Captain well, of coorse ! 
 
 And the Doctor gettin worse and worse 
 
 Them times, and up to Bigode for the hay 
 
 Lek he was used ; * and the best [of a month 
 
 away 
 
 And terrible talk, and every wheer! 
 And up the gill, and did ye see her ? 
 And bless my soul ! and bad work! Whatl 
 And where would it end? And this, and that, 
 1 As he was accustomed. 
 
 O
 
 194 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And desp'rate work in the Doctor's house, 
 
 And carryin on, till this little mouse 
 
 Of a Katty was freckened altogether, 
 
 And come to me, and not a bad job either 
 
 The boghee veg ! 1 and the little bress 2 
 
 Like choked aw, terrible distress 
 
 At the child and would I come up ? aw, do i 
 
 And oh, if I knew ! Oh, if I knew ! 
 
 And oh, would I come up to-night ? 
 
 And// isri right, it isn' right ! 
 
 " No, it isn' ! " I says. Aw, the red 
 
 She got and the shamed, and the little hands 
 
 spread 
 
 Against her face, and turns the quick, 
 And the sobs goin ruxin 3 up her back ! 
 Think of the shame ! aw, the beautiful shame ! 
 Aw, dear ! there should be another name 
 For the lek. When an angel '11 be flying past 
 The gate of hell, you could fancy a blast 
 
 1 Poor little thing. 2 Breast. 3 Pulsing convulsively.
 
 THE DOCTOR, 195 
 
 Of the brimstone eh ! and him shakin his 
 feathers 
 
 v 
 
 'Deed they've got to be out in all weathers, 
 
 Them angels, aye ! and seein hapes 
 
 Of sin. And I wouldn' trust l but they scrapes 
 
 Their feet middlin careful at the door, 
 
 Comin in and steppin on the floor 
 
 Very dainty, for not to be silin 
 
 The lovely polished gool, and smilin ; 
 
 And glory, glory to the Lamb I 
 
 Aw, when I think of that the happy I am ! 
 
 Well, well, let's hope and the sea all glass 
 
 But the shamed she was ! the shamed she was ! 
 
 The putty 2 shamed ; aw dear, the sweet, 
 
 In a little thing. Aw, I love to see't. 
 
 I was guttin our herrins that time, and I talked 
 
 A dale of comfortin things, and calked 
 
 The seams of the little bustin heart 
 
 The best I could. And Fd take her part, 
 
 1 I should not wonder. 2 Prettily.
 
 196 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And " Look here ! " I said, and I showed her my 
 knife ; 
 
 
 
 " Look here ! I'll have that captain's life 
 
 This very everin," I said ; " and what's more, 
 
 By gough ! it should ha' been done afore "- 
 
 Just comfortin lek, the way she'd see 
 
 The friend she had. " No, no ! " said she, 
 
 And the white as death. "Oh, make him 
 
 promise ! 
 
 Oh, Mrs. Baynes!" " Ger out there, Thomas!" 
 Says mawther. And well to keep clear of a quarrel, 
 And rammin the herrins into the barrel, 
 And sniffin greatly, but looked over her shoulder 
 At little Katty, and sniffin loudher, 
 But wouldn' let on J for any sake, 
 But in and got a botter 2 cake, 
 The thick with sugar, and sthrooghed the head, 
 And " Go home now ! millish ! 3 Go home ! " she 
 
 said. 
 1 Let it be seen. 2 Butter. * Honey.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 197 
 
 And I went with her as far as the gaery ; 1 
 
 And then she axed me to speak to Mary. 
 
 And the sense she had, and her so small; 
 
 And the way she knew nothin, and the way she 
 
 knew all ! 
 
 And "Is she is she a wicked gel?" 
 And "'Deed, Miss Katty, I cannot tell," 
 Says I ; " but lookin like it rather." 
 And how would it do to tell the father ? 
 And no ! aw, no / And grippin my hand, 
 And beseechin lek ; and who was her fran' 2 
 But me ; and the good I was, and the nice, 
 And the big and the strong, and the ould and the 
 
 wise. 
 Aw, dear ! " Well, well ! " I said ; "all right ! " 
 
 And up to the house that very night; 
 And not in much notion what to say, 
 But felt like a fool, though, anyway. 
 
 1 Uncultivated field. J Friend.
 
 198 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 So I in on the back, and I axed the gel 
 Was Miss Mary in; and "Will I do as well?" 
 Says this trouss, and cockin the cap, and tossin 
 The head o' one side, and semp'rin, and saucin. 
 "Hardly," says I. "Can I see her?" I says; 
 " I want to spake to her, if you plaise." 
 " Indeed ! " says she ; " you're very high ! " 
 And "Spakin is spakin !" "Go and tell her," says I, 
 " For all and look sharp ! " Aw, by gough ! she 
 
 went. 
 
 You see I was never givin no encouragement 
 To the lek no, no ! A dirty thing ! 
 Her to buck l up to me, by jing ! 
 Well, she soon came back ; and "Go in ! " says 
 
 she, 
 "And I'd rather it'd be you till me." 
 
 So I into the parlour; and there she was 
 The handsome ! But " all flesh is grass," 
 1 Make.
 
 THE DOCTOR. K)<) 
 
 It's sayin. But the beauty and the craft 
 Of the craythur ! and just the tail of a laugh 
 Left curled on her mouth ; and never lifted 
 Her eyes from the book, nor never shifted ; 
 But aisy to see little Katty had tould them 
 I was come up o' purpose to scould them. 
 
 And "Good everin," says I, "Miss Bell;" 
 
 But rather hesitin. " Aren't ye well ? " 
 
 Says she. " A cowld, it's lek," she says ; 
 
 And " ye seem rather shaky ; " and the key of the 
 
 chess 1 
 
 Was away with the Doctor, and the eyes as straight 
 On the book, but just a slit o' light 
 A kink ; 2 and the sparklin silver devil 
 Runnin along it like the bead in a level 
 You'll see at 3 these masons. " Look out," says I 
 To myself, " Tom Baynes ! Stand by ! stand by ! 
 It's comin," says I " it's fight she manes ! 
 1 Chest. * Peep. 3 With.
 
 200 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Batten down your hatches, Misther Thomas Baynes ! " 
 
 And I drew a long breath, and I said, " Miss Mary ! 
 
 I'm sorry now ; I'm sorry very " 
 
 And the tight in the throat. " But it's lek it's no 
 
 use," 
 
 I said; and "I must, and I hope you'll 'scuse 
 And it's makin very free," I said ; 
 " But I'm bothered shockin in my head, 
 
 And all the talk " " If I had the keys," 
 
 Says she. " Aw, Miss Mary ! if you plaise, 
 Will you listen to me ? " I says " will you listen ? 
 It isn' my stomach! no, it isn'," 
 I says. " No, no ! it's my heart that's in." l 
 " Love ! " she says ; " oh, that's differin. 
 How interestin ! " she says; and "Come! 
 Tell me all about it, Tom ! 
 
 Your heart," she says, " poor Tom ! your heart ! " 
 Then all of a sudden she gave a start, 
 1 In question.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 201 
 
 And " It isn' me ! Oh, Tom ! hush, hush ! " 
 
 And her eyes flew round at me in a rush 
 
 Of fire. " Miss Mary ! Miss Mary ! " I strove 
 
 To get a word, you know. But " Love ! 
 
 LDVC, is it, Tom? And your heart, poor lad, 
 
 Is bleedin ! is it, Tom ? " she said, 
 
 And the sigh ! " Oh, God in heaven ! " I shouted, 
 
 " Miss Mary ! " and the red lip pouted, 
 
 And the foot went tappin ; and " Well," says she, 
 
 " You're a handsome fellow ; but Betsy Lee ! 
 
 Betsy, Tom ! Oh, Tom ! for shame ! " 
 
 Aw, her eyes was like the livin flame ! 
 
 And the smile ! aw, the divil's smile was warpin 
 
 Like a leech on her lips. My gough ! the sarpin ! l 
 
 The sarpin ! and me with the ribs just stove 
 
 With houldin my heart, the way it hove 
 
 Against them. Aw, I couldn' have stood much 
 
 more; 
 
 And if I'd struck her to the floor, 
 1 Serpent.
 
 202 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Struck her dead struck her dead, 
 It'd been better for herself it had, 
 And a wonder I didn' ; but I hoult 1 very strong, 
 And I said, " Miss Mary, it's very wrong 
 The way you're actin." I said, " Try, try ! 
 To speak to me like a lady," says I, 
 " Like a lady," I says, " aw, do ! aw, do ! 
 You know what I mean. It is for you, 
 And for all my heart is sore this night," 
 I said. " Aw, dear ! the weight ! the weight 
 Of trouble that's fell upon ye all," 
 I said, "that's fell, and goin to fall. 
 Aw, Miss Mary ! " I said, " be nice ! 
 Be studdy," I said; "aw, take advice, 
 And give yandher captain a clout on the head ! 
 He's after no good not him ! " I said ; 
 And wouldri she be happier far 
 If she was keeping more respectablar ? 
 And wasri 1 it God that gave her the beauty 
 1 Held, restrained [myself.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 203 
 
 And the figgart And wouldri it be her duty 
 To try to be sweet, and pure, and good 
 The way the Lord was intendin she should t 
 Aw, try ; and all would be for the best, 
 "And everbody'll love you," I says. 
 
 And I kep' the eye upon her still 
 
 The blue on the black ! Aw, aisy, Bill ! 
 
 The cowld on the hot, if you like ; and the hand 
 
 Went up to the head like a shootin pain 
 
 "Try!" I said, but very low, 
 
 Just like whisperin, you know 
 
 Aw, then she was done, and only raison; 
 
 And her face in her hands, and her hands like a 
 
 bason 
 
 For the full of tears that couldn' help splashin 
 Through her fingers lek a pessin 1 washin; 
 And the catch on her breath; aw, it's then the 
 
 Lord 
 
 1 Person.
 
 204. THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Was strivin with her very hard. 
 
 But I heard a foot goin on the stair, 
 
 And I turned very quick, and who should be there 
 
 But Willie? We looked at one another 
 
 For the best of a minute ; aw, studdy, rather, 
 
 Studdy; but he couldn' hold on, 
 
 And the eye fell slant. And then he begun 
 
 And who the this, and who the that! 
 
 And what in the world was she snivlin at? 
 
 And "What have you been talkin about, 
 
 Tom Baynes ? " he says. And " Just get out ! " 
 
 He says, " get out of here ! " he says. 
 
 My gough, the tinglin in my fist ! 
 
 "Now, I'll be plain with you, Willy Bell," 
 
 I says, " I'll be plain ; you know right well 
 
 What was I talkin about, for you were standin 
 
 The whole of the time upon the landin. 
 
 Now, then," I says, "you're a gentleman, 
 
 And I'm However, that's your plan
 
 THE DOCTOR. 205 
 
 Listenin, is it ? You snake ! l And you heard 
 All that was sayin aye, every word ! " 
 Aw, he turned his back, and he goes to the sisther, 
 And says he, "look up," and he took and kissed 
 
 her. 
 
 "Judas!" I shouted, "Judas! traitor! 
 Devil ! " I said, " let go the craythur ! 
 The Lord is with her." "Oh, no doubt," 
 Says he, "but we know what we're about." 
 And I looked, and she just give one long shiver, 
 And the face was as hard and as wicked as ever. 
 " Help, help ! my God," I cried, " help now ! 
 She's lost ! she's lost ! " " Come ! blast this row ! " 
 Says he. Aw, I made a step, and I put 
 My face into his, and fut to fut, 
 And "Devil! Devil! Double die 
 Of a devil ! I can see it in your eye ! 
 I know it! I know it!" "What?" he said. 
 " What, indeed ! What, indeed ! 
 1 Sneak.
 
 206 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Will I kill ye now?" I says. Aw, he shook 
 Very bad. And I took and stuck 
 My fist in his handkecher, and I gave 
 Just one good twiss. " Come, lave then ! lave 
 Lave go ! " he says, and the teeth goin chatterin 
 " By gough," I says, " you're a beautiful patterin l 
 Of a gentleman." And her as quite z 
 All the time ; but the soft, good light 
 Of God was gone out of her, and starin 
 Lek a kind of stupid, the way its appearin 
 With people that's drunk that sleepy stuff 
 Laudanum, is it ? Lek enough : 
 But didn' offer to help him at all, 
 And the divil pinned against the wall; 
 And puffin and cussin what would he do. 
 " Come out ! " says I. " No, I won't, for you ! " 
 Says he. "You coward," I says, and I ground 
 My knuckles in his windpipe, and down 
 He went like a sack of potatoes though ! 
 1 Pattern. 2 Quiet.
 
 THE DOCTOR, 207 
 
 "You're a murderer!" she said. "No, no!" 
 Says I ; " there's twice too much life in him yet." 
 Aw, you might as well ha' talked to a idiot 
 As to her, the way she was then. So I went, 
 For I was intarmint 1 to be off immadient 
 To the Bigode to see was the Docthor in trim 
 To be fit to come down and spake to them. 
 
 And afore I got to the end of the street 
 I heard the click of a horse's feet, 
 And a Douglas car. And " Wuss and wuss ! " 
 Thinks I. " And now it 's who'll be fuss ! " 2 
 And I ran like the mischief. And there he was 
 The poor old Docthor, and a staemin glass, 
 And the one turn 3 over the other, twiddlin, 
 You know. And middlin sober middlin. 
 And For all the sakes to come at once, 
 Or lek enough we'd lose the chance 
 And the work that was in. 4 And ' ' Docthor, come ! " 
 1 Determined. 2 First. 3 Thumb. 4 There was.
 
 208 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 "Stop," he says, "till I finish this rum;" 
 And suckin it sweet, aw, the last grain of shugger. 1 
 And then this stupid ould hugger-mugger 
 Of a Kelly, the grandfather, you know, 
 What would hould but he must go? 
 And huntin for his stick, and wrappin 
 His stupid ould neck. And What might happen, 
 And The Lord over all. And Wouldrt it be well 
 To begin with prayer! "Eh, Docthor Bell?" 
 "No," I said, "Mr. Kelly," I says, 
 " There isn' no time for this foolishness." 
 " You scandalous rapprerbate," says he, 
 " For shame ! " he says. And down on the knee, 
 And by gough he gave tongue that all the glen 
 Might have heard him. "All right! Amen, Amen!" 
 Says I. And glad they warn' 2 in liquor, 
 But half out of my senses they wouldn' come quicker. 
 And the hummin and hemmin ; and the death of 
 cowld, 
 
 1 Sugar. 2 Were not.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 209 
 
 And "Be careful, Kelly!" and "Bless my soul!" 
 
 And, " What's become of yandher stick ? " 
 
 Aw, enough to make you sick. 
 
 But off at last ; and slow, though, very, 
 
 And groanin and prayin like ould Harry ! 
 
 And " Yes, Docthor Bell," and " No, Docthor Bell," 
 
 And "It's lek it's better to go, Docthor Bell?" 
 
 And " Are ye there ? " and " Wait now, wait ! " 
 
 And " It's very coorse," * and " I'm all in a heat "; 
 
 And me like disthracted. And, was I suttin ? z 
 
 And stoppin and strugglin with a button 
 
 And " D it ! Mr. Kelly," I says, 
 
 "It's too bad altogether, it is." 
 
 " O," he says, " young man, I see ! 
 
 I'll have a little talk with you," says he. 
 
 "What is it sayin," he says, "in John?" 
 
 " Good Lord ! Mr. Kelly ! come on ! come on ! 
 
 Come on ! " I says ; so he come ; but sighin 
 
 Very bad, and lek to plyin 3 
 
 1 Rough (weather). 3 Certain. 3 Repeating. 
 
 P
 
 2io THE DOCTOR. 
 
 A text to hisself. And got them down 
 
 To the Lhen at last; and people round 
 
 The door o' the Bull, and 'cited rather, 
 
 And nudgin when they saw the father; 
 
 And over to the house, and there 
 
 Of coorse ! of coorse ! Aw, never fear ! 
 
 Gone though ! and no use to be frettin ; 
 
 And Pazon Gale in the parlour sittin 
 
 As patient ; but thinkin very deep, 
 
 And little Katty fast asleep 
 
 Before the fire, or was a fire, 
 
 But this beautiful servant was oft to enjoy her 
 
 Talk with the neighbours ; and just a rakin 
 
 Of dust in the bars. Aw dear, the forsaken ! 
 
 The miserable ! the miserable ! 
 
 And the Pazon with his elber on the table 
 
 The Pazon, aye ; for when the child 
 
 Seen their actin, she run like wild 
 
 Up to the Church, that nothin couldn' stop her; 
 
 And was she too little to reach the rapper,
 
 THE DOCTOR. 211 
 
 Or couldri work it, the Pazon was sayin, 
 She put her face to the window pane, 
 The Pazon said, like a little ghose, 1 
 He said ; and the flat of her little nose 
 Just like a peep-show, he said it was, 
 Don't you know? a bit of glass 
 And flowers goin squeezin under it ; 
 Eh? and a little mossel 2 of spit, 
 And give me a pin 
 To stick in my chin 3 
 What ? of coorse ! of coorse ! you know 
 
 Aw, the Pazon was funny though. 
 
 Well, he took the little sowl in his hand, 
 
 And away the two of them went to the Lhen 
 
 The quickest they could, but it was all up then. 
 
 But still the Pazon thought he'd stay 
 
 A while on the chance. So that's the way, 
 
 Her on the mat, and him on the chair, 
 
 1 Ghost. 2 Morsel. s Words used in a childish q;ame.
 
 212 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 The time the Docthor and Kelly got there 
 And me ? Aw, yes, I went in with them ; 
 And the first thing ould Kelly give a hem 
 And " Peace be to this house ! " he says, 
 And somethin chapter, somethin vess, 1 
 And behoulds the Pazon, and "Oh," says he, 
 " Oh, what a opportunity 
 For a little improvement," he says, aw dear! 
 And would we objei? ? Just a little prayer ? 
 Or how would a taste of exhortirf do ? 
 And "Pazon Gale, I'll lave it to you" 
 And "This young man," he says, and cockin 
 His eye on me, "is given to mockin 
 Yes ! " but the Pazon didn' regard him ; 
 Lek enough he never heard him, 
 But he had a hould o' the Docthor's hand, 
 And if ever a man looked into a man 
 With love and power it was him that minute : 
 Aw, the very shiver of love was in it 
 1 Verse.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 213 
 
 The long long love, the healin love, 
 The Comforter, the Heavenly Dove; 
 Aw, the white without a stain, 
 Lek you'll hear the praechers "Return," they're 
 sayin, 
 
 "Return, thou Holy Dove, return, 
 
 Sweet messenger of rest ; 
 I hate the sin that made thee mourn 
 And druv thee from my breast." 
 
 And then little Katty woke from her sleep, 
 And she looked around and she gave a leap 
 At the father; and hung, and hung, and hung 
 "You'll 'scuse her," says Kelly, "she's very young" 
 But the Pazon said "Mr. Kelly," says he, 
 "We'd better be goin " and turned to me 
 " Come, Tom," he says, just whisperin lek 
 And out with the two of us as quick 
 "That's the salve he says that 11 heal
 
 2J4 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 His wounds." "I purtess, 1 then, Pazon Gale!" 
 
 Says Kelly, very sharp, " I purtess ! 
 
 It was a opportunity, and it shouldn' ha' been 
 
 missed." 
 
 But the Pazon coaxed him very nice, 
 And they went, and I could hear the sweet ould 
 
 vice 
 
 Like music hummin through the night, 
 And I strained to hear for the joy and delight, 
 And strained till I couldn' hear no more, 
 And urrov 2 the glen, and took for the shore, 
 And in; but my heart was very sore. 
 
 And only off with my shoes and jacket, 
 
 For I was intarmined 3 to see would they be at the 
 
 packet. 
 
 And gave the ould woman slip fuss-rate, 
 And never touched a mossel o' mate, 
 And got to Douglas middlin arly. 
 
 1 Protest. 2 Out of. 3 Determined.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 215 
 
 Aw, by gough ! but they bet me farly, 1 
 For where must they be off to all the while 
 But Ramsey, and sailed with the Mona's Isle? 
 The Mona's Isle ! I wish she'd ha' sunk ! 
 I was just that mad that I went and got drunk, 
 And I couldn' tell ye when I got home 
 But I saw yandher driver, and I gave it to 'm 
 As innocent there upon the Cross ! 2 
 Aw, I had to do it, the mad I was. 
 So that was Misther Willy Bell 
 That sould his sisther. Still! keep still! 
 Sould her! Didn' I see the notes? 
 Didn' me and Tommy Gates 
 See him Crispin them in his fingers 
 At Callow's? Didn' we, by jingers? 
 And didn' I tell him he had his wages, 
 And he'd burn for it, through all the ages 
 Of hell, I said, and the dirty sniggle 
 On his face aye, just like a worm '11 wriggle 
 1 Fairly. 2 Market-place.
 
 2i6 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Under your calker ; 1 and didn' we take them 
 Urrov z his hand, and didn' we cake them 
 Together, by gough! and soak the whole o' them 
 In a pint-jough 3 there, and make him swallow 
 
 them? 
 
 Aye, did we ! and a goodish few 
 Made it up to kill him, too, 
 And tould he wasn' safe at the Lhen; 
 And cut, and never come back again. 
 No, no ! by gough ! he's not such a fool, 
 And he's for a bully now in Liverpool. 
 
 And did this Mary ever come back ? 
 Yes, she did. She tried that tack, 
 Maybe about a two years after; 
 But of coorse this fellow had took and left her 
 Long afore that. She came about 
 Of a summer's everin ; and the Docthor out, 
 And Katty with him, and the new sarvint they had 
 1 Heel-tip. 2 Out of. 3 Ale-mug.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 2*7 
 
 Come runnin down the shore, and she said 
 
 The free she was, and the condescandin, 
 
 And the lovely drest, and there was no depandin 
 
 To the talk with people. " Aisy, Bess ! " 
 
 Says an ould fisherman there. " We know what she 
 
 is; 
 
 And, by gough ! " he says, " she'll pack her traps 
 This very night ! " and calls the chaps. 
 And gets a cart, and away with them though, 
 And me a follerin rather slow, 
 And thinkin a dale; for, for all the sinner 
 She was, the door shouldn' be shut agin her 
 It shouldn', I tell ye it shouldn' be, 
 If she's anyways took in her conscience, ye see 
 Aw, no ! and done with her wickedness, 
 And longin, longin, longin for rest. 
 '<' God help the lek ! " thinks I ; and the cart 
 Coin rattlin on. "Will I take her part?" 
 Says I to myself. " Well, well ! I'll wait ; " 
 And the cart goin stoppin at the gate,
 
 21 8 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And " Come urrov 1 that ! " says Bobby Brew ; 
 " Come urrov that ! " says all the crew ; 
 " Come urrov that ! come urrov that, will ye ? " 
 And says Bobby, "We're not goin to kill ye; 
 But we know very well how your bread is arnin 2 
 So you'll off by the packet to-morrow mornin. 
 Now, come ! " says Bobby " come, and make 
 haste ! " 
 
 So she come she come ! My God ! the face ! 
 
 Just a graven image cut out of stone 
 
 The tight and the glazed; you'd hardly ha' known 
 
 Was it a livin woman you'd got, 
 
 Or some figgerhead for the divil's yacht ! 
 
 And goin a heisin at 3 them there, 
 
 Straight 4 like a coffin upon a bier, 
 
 And a cross-board at them, and a wisp o' straw ; 
 
 God bless ye ! the lek you never saw ! 
 
 1 Out of. 3 Earned. 
 
 3 Being lifted by. 4 Just.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 219 
 
 And givin in, and noways vi'lent, 
 
 And because she was silent, they were all of them 
 
 silent ; 
 
 Aw, you might ha' heard a pin 
 For all the world like a buryin. 
 But the pitiful ! the pitiful ! 
 And along the street, and past the Bull ; 
 And, " Aw ! " I said " aw, give her a chance ! 
 Aw, just this once ! aw, just this once ! 
 And wait for the Docthor ! aw, do ! aw, do ! 
 Aw, Masther Brew ! aw, Masther Brew ! 
 Can't there be no mercy ? " I said ; 
 But ould Bauvy 1 only shook his head, 
 And over the shore; and then the women 
 Come out, and one by the name o' Shimmin 
 Up with a clew of goss 2 to strek 3 her, 
 And others tryin to draw the keeker ; * 
 But some -was shoutin, "Where are ye goin?" 
 
 1 Bobby. 8 Bunch of gorse. 
 
 3 Strike. 4 Kicker, for tilting a cart.
 
 220 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And " Aw, the poor thing ! " and " Lave her 
 
 alone ! " 
 
 And just when we come agin 1 the well, 
 Who was there but ould Ruchie Fell? 
 
 And " Come, then, Ruchie ! give her a prayer ! " 
 
 And the innocent ould soul that was there 
 
 Stuck to at once, and prayed away 
 
 Till we got to the other side of the bay, 
 
 And keepin up, and peggin along 
 
 By the side of the cart, and prayin strong, 
 
 And the two hands clasped before him like this ; 
 
 And at last he took and gave out a vess 2 
 
 Of the "Buryin Psalm," and middlin right, 
 
 But then they hushed him for th' 3 be quite, 
 
 And tould him he hadn' got the tune, 
 
 And left him standin in the moon. 
 
 But Mary Bell ! oh, Mary Bell ! 
 
 1 Over against. 2 Verse. 3 To.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 221 
 
 What she was thirfkin, who can tell? 
 
 Sittin there as firm and straight 
 
 As a crowbar ; and all the lovely light 
 
 Shinin off her like a block 
 
 Lek you'll see it shinin off a rock. 
 
 If it wasn' the sittin, you couldn' have tould 
 
 Was she dead or alive. And " Is there a sowl 
 
 At her, 1 is there ? or a body just ? " 
 
 Thinks I to myself. Aw, dust to dust. 
 
 Bless ye ! we might ha' been agate of a biler 
 
 On the Foxdale road 2 when, behold ye! ould 
 
 Smiler, 
 
 The Pazon's horse, and the Pazon's trap, 
 And the Pazon himself! And "Stop, men ! stop !" 
 We were about the Ballayonna, you know, 
 When we met him, Ned, and turnin slow 
 On the bridge that's there. "What's at ye 3 at all?" 
 
 1 Has she a soul ? 
 
 - Carrying a steam boiler up to the Foxdale mines. 
 
 s What have you ?
 
 222 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Says the Pazon, backin agin the wall; 
 
 And" Hullo ! " he says, " Thomas ! is that you ? 
 
 Aw, dear ! " he says, " and Robert Brew ! " 
 
 And what were we afther? and we gave him a start, 
 
 And who was that we had in the cart ? 
 
 So they tould him ; and the Pazon tried 
 Hard, but they wouldn' be satisfied. 
 " Let her see her father ! " he says ; 
 And the wrong, he said, and the wickedness 
 They were doin, he said, // was awful! awful ! 
 "And more till that it isn' lawful." 
 " We'll chance the law," says the fellows then ; 
 But, by gough ! the Pazon was at them again. 
 And who were they to judge the why l 
 The gel come home ? lek 2 enough to die, 
 Says the Pazon. Says Brew, " She's not the surt ! 
 And I tell you, Pazon, we'll have no such dirt 
 At the Lhen," says Brew"; " so there now there ! " 
 1 Reason why. J Likely.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 223 
 
 Aw, he was the chap to spake. " You were allis 
 
 severe 
 
 And hard, Robert Brew ! But listen to me ! 
 I've nussed this child upon my knee; 
 I've christened her in the church," he says ; 
 " And now and now she's come to this ! " 
 And, " Oh, our Father in heaven ! " says he, 
 " Look down on her in her misery ; 
 And melt, oh, melt ! these hearts of stone ! " 
 And, " Havn' you childher of your own ? " 
 He says to the chaps. And there wasn' a word 
 For a minute maybe, and all that was heard 
 Was the river, cryin down the gill, 
 And houldin their breaths aw, very still. 
 
 Then says the Pazon, " Mary Bell, 
 Have you come home to be a good gel? 
 In God's name, Mary ! in God's name ! 
 Is that, is that the for * ye came ! 
 1 The reason why.
 
 224 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Answer ! " he said ; but she wouldn' spake 
 Then says Bauvy, "I know the sake 1 
 She come well enough : it was for the little sister- 
 Little Katty to try could she get and 'list her 
 In the same sort of work." " That's it ! that's it ! " 
 Says the others ; " little Katty to get 
 Little Katty ! " they says. " Little Katty aye ! " 
 And, " Stick to it, Bauvy ! that's the why ! " 
 And Miss Katty was the darlin of the shore, 
 And she'd been knocked about enough before 
 And they wouldrf have it, they said, and 'd rather 
 See her in her grave ! and the father 
 Was a very nice man, but he wasrt able 
 To take care o' the child; and gettin feeble, 
 They said, with the drink, and far too soft ; 
 And it was Katty Katty they were thinkin of 
 Little Katty ! Aw, then the head 
 Come down at last. " I'll go ! " she said 
 Yes, but sulky-lek, you know; 
 " Drive on the cart 1111 go ! I'll go ! " 
 1 Reason why.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 225 
 
 Then the Pazon gave a terrible sigh, 
 
 And he says, " The Lord is always nigh ! 
 
 I'll go with her myself, I will!" 
 
 And out of the gig, and on to the till, 1 
 
 And into the cart. And, "Thomas, good lad! 
 
 Take care of the gig!" And the bad!. the 
 
 And a mortal trimblin in his vice, 
 
 And sittin beside her as nice as nice. 
 
 So on we druv, with the cart in front, 
 
 And the gig behind, and just a grunt 
 
 Now and then at 3 Bauvy ; but me that beat 
 
 I was nearly fallin off the seat 
 
 And the Pazon talkin very low, 
 
 But what he was talkin we'll never know ; 
 
 But it's lek 3 to repent, and the aisy yoke 
 
 The way they're talkin, and right to talk 
 
 Pazons yes ! 
 
 So that's the way 
 We got her down on Douglas Quay; 
 
 * Shaft. * From. 3 Likely. 
 
 Q
 
 226 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And we waited till the packet started; 
 
 And the hobblers 1 there was terr'ble divarted 
 
 With the Pazon ! And, What a stunnin old limb ! 
 
 They were sayin ; and a gel with him / 
 
 Aw, these Douglas hobblers is shockin rough, 
 
 Though there's some of them dacent chaps enough, 
 
 But free o' the tongue, aw, 'deed they are, 
 
 And ready for any sort of war. 
 
 But the Pazon didn' mind them, no he didn', 
 
 Just like an ould angel, the way he was spreadin 
 
 The peace around him, lek shook from wings 
 
 Round and round and round in rings 
 
 The holy, the holy, and the true ! 
 
 Aw, the beautiful and the lovely too ! 
 
 Aw, bless him ! bless him ! He'll wear the crown, 
 
 Will Pazon Gale ! And up and down, 
 
 Up and down on yandher pier, 
 
 And that stubborn thing that was at 2 him there, 
 
 Whatever he could do or say 
 
 1 Boatmen. 2 With.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 227 
 
 But she broke with the breakin of the day - 
 Broke when the day broke ! Well, raelly now 
 Them's the only words I don't know how 
 Was it the Prince of Darkness was put to flight, 
 For he couldn' stand the sting of the light; 
 Or was the red that ript the East 
 Like a finger pointin to the place 
 Where she had to go? Or did God look out 
 From the pillar of fire, lek when he was about l 
 Yandher Pharaoh, and all his host 
 That come tearin there along the coast, 
 And braggin that Moses couldn' help but laugh, 
 Chariots ! had they ? and the wheels comin off! 
 Aye, but, however, she sobbed a dale, 
 But what she said to Pazon Gale 
 Was never known; but you could see like a shot 
 The Pazon was aisier after that 
 For her to go. I can't tell if she hadn 
 A godly sorra for tears '11 be sheddin 
 1 Engaged with.
 
 228 THE DOCTOR, 
 
 Very bad, and even prayin, 
 
 But a godly sorra, the Bible is sayin 
 
 Of course, and lek never to do it again 
 
 Do ye see the thing? We'll drop it then, 
 
 And so she was put aboard at last, 
 
 And ould Bauvy says c< Will I make her fast 
 
 To anything?" But the Pazon went 
 
 To ould Captain Craine, bein well acquent, 
 
 And would he give an eye to this young pessin ? 
 
 And the 'spectable, and very dhtressin 
 
 " All right ! " says the Captain, but middlin gruff, 
 
 "All right!" "And is it goin to be rough?" 
 
 " No ! " he says ; and " Now for the shore ! " 
 
 And turns his back, I belave he knew her. 
 
 Well, that's all I've got about Mary, 
 
 And home with the Pazon, and terrible weary 
 
 The two of us till the Pazon heard 
 
 A lark that was singin very high,
 
 THE DOCTOR. 229 
 
 And all like quiverin with the joy 
 
 Then said the Pazon "You'd hardly belave 
 
 There was sin in the world, to hear that stave 
 
 Sing on, my bird ! sing on ! " he says, 
 
 " Your song of love and happiness ! 
 
 Sing on, brave bird ! " and the ould head dips, 
 
 And I seen the prayer on his lips 
 
 Aye but didn' spake again 
 
 At all. And so we come to the Lhen. 
 
 Now, I don't know azackly 1 the years it would be, 
 But it was once I was home for a while, you see, 
 With the ould woman, bein in two minds 
 Would I stick altogether to the lines, 
 And give up the sea; and I'd had my sup 
 Of troubles, you know, but mortal took up 
 With little Simmy, that was growin grand 
 Eh, Simmy ! Are ye asleep, my man ? 
 Look at him ! rolled up like a ball ! 
 1 Exactly.
 
 230 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Ha ! pretendin ! Aisy all ! 
 Well, I think it was a everin 1 in May, 
 Or June, a yacht come into the bay, 
 A terrible beauty, schooner rig, 
 Fore and aft, you know; and big 
 Tremenjus two hundred register 
 At laste, I'm thinkin; and they anchored her 
 Inside of the Carrick. And a boat come in, 
 And a sarvint, and orders at him to send 
 A Docthor aboard, if so be there was one 
 At the Village, and then for him to go on 
 To Douglas, and get them Docthors too 
 Idikkilis! 2 as if Bell wouldn' do! 
 But that's the way ! and a gig at the Bull, 
 And yoked in a crack, 3 aw, a gig to the full 
 Aw, it's Callow's could do it, and off like a shot, 
 And then, ye see, Docthor Bell was got; 
 And the boat that come had to stay behind 
 For stores, and so he went in mine. 
 1 Evening. - Ridiculous. 3 Horse put to immediately.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 231 
 
 The sun was settin when we fetched, 
 
 And there was a lady lyin stretched 
 
 On a bed on the deck, for she wouldn' stay 
 
 Below as long as it was day. 
 
 So that's the raison they satisfied her. 
 
 And the son and the husband standin beside her, 
 
 And the awnin furled, and the last bit of light 
 
 Shinin full on her face Aw, the white ! the white ! 
 
 And "Here's the Docthor!" and makin room, 
 
 And the young man leaned his head on the boom ; 
 
 But the old man took the Docthor's hand, 
 
 And led him to her, you understand 
 
 But when she seen him she gave a cry, 
 
 And, " Oh, you're come to see me die ! 
 
 Oh, Edward ! oh perhaps it's as well 
 
 Oh, Edward Bell! Oh, Edward Bell!" 
 
 And he fell on his knees, and he bowed his head, 
 
 "Harriet! Harriet!" he said; 
 
 But the Lady Harriet was dead.
 
 232 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Yes ! it was her. You knew it was comin ? 
 Aw, the very woman ! the very woman ! 
 For when the Docthor wrote to her 
 To say he was married, she didn' care 
 For nothin at all, but only to go 
 Somewhere out of the way, you know 
 Lek a craythur that's goin a runnin 1 over 
 '11 creep in the hedge to try and recover 
 Aye, but a taste of pride with it all, 
 A\v, pride no doubt ! and natheral ! 
 For what had she done but axed a man 
 Would he marry her, and the fella ran 
 Well, not azackly that, but still- 
 Aw, she was feelin it terrible. 
 And went and took a little house 
 In the counthry, and just a couple of cows 
 And a little land, and a lady's maid 
 She was used of lek, that could make her bed 
 And that, and this man they were callin James, 
 1 That gets run over.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 233 
 
 You'll mind, that was tellin me all the games. 
 
 Wasn' it him that came ashore 
 
 In the boat to send the Docthor to her ? 
 
 And oft" without a bite or a sup 
 
 To get the Douglas Docthors up. 
 
 Wasn' he tellin me over -our tay 
 
 We'd been whitin fishing in the bay 
 
 That ev'rin aw, a dacent chap, 
 
 And the fond of the whitins he couldn' stop 
 
 One after another and aw, the ddaycious ! 
 
 And him and me was very gracious. 
 
 Well, she come to live in this little place, 
 But she couldn' get a mossel of peace; 
 For of coorse the rich she was and the beauty, 
 There was hundreds comin to pay their duty, 
 Lek makin application, lek sportin 
 Their figgers afore her. I doubt it's coortin 
 It'd get 1 with us, but the quality 
 1 It would be called.
 
 234 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Must have a differin name, ye see. 
 So I believe at last she was fairly fo'ced 
 To take a husband. And like a ghost, 
 They said, the day she was married. Aye ! 
 But a rael good man, and tervil high ; 
 And a splandid scholar, you'll be sure, 
 And kind, and givin a dale to the poor; 
 And wise and careful all the same 
 Lord Brockley they were callin him. 
 And she never had no child but the one 
 A boy, you know, and reared at them grand ; 
 But the mother took very much to failin, 
 So the docthors thought a little sailin 
 Would do her good. So every year 
 They were havin a trip in the Vivandeer, 
 They were callin her. And sixteen hands 
 All tould, and sparin no expense. 
 Aw, a splandid vessel, splandid, though ! 
 And that fitted up, you'd hardly know 
 Were you standin in a ship or a shop.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 235 
 
 And stewards there aw, just tip-top; 
 
 And the paintin and the gool you never ! 
 
 And the lookin glasses ; but, however 
 
 So it seems this time they'd been over to Dublin, 
 
 And rather rough, and the sickness troublin 
 
 The lady bad. And bound to shake her 
 
 Roundin the Calf. And waeker and waeker, 
 
 Till at last they got freckened, and had to give in, 
 
 And come to an anchor at the Lhen. 
 
 So that's the way, the very fit. 1 
 
 And wasn' it nice now? Wasn' it? 
 
 And her ould sweetheart, and all ! Just so ! 
 
 Aw, beautiful ! Aw, lovely, though ! 
 
 And the wonderful for him to be nigh, 
 
 Lek ifd be a pleasure for her to die, 
 
 Yes, yes ! you're right ! Aw, 'deed, for sure ! 2 
 
 The woman was dyin happy thallure. 3 
 
 And coffined there at Masther Cowle 
 
 Rosewood rosewood ! Bless your soul ! 
 
 1 Exactly. 2 Most certainly. 3 Enough.
 
 236 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Satin linin, satin trimmin, 
 
 Just like a pianna, I heard some women. 
 
 And put aboard the Douglas boat, 
 
 And Masther Cowle himself attendin to 't. 
 
 And the proudest day of his life, I'll bet 
 
 Aw, poor Lady Harriet ! 
 
 Now afore she was married she tould the Lord 
 About the Doctor, every word. 
 And hard to do it's lek it'd be, 
 But " Bless ye ! What's the odds ? " says he. 
 Aw, thrumps the both, and 'd out and spake ; 
 Aw, the rael breed, and no mistake. 
 So this Lord Brockley seen at once 
 What was up, and capital friends 
 Capital ! Chut ! The man had sense. 
 There was a sayin of his the people had 
 When the two was ither side l of the dead. 
 Then says this Brocolo " Poor dove ! 
 1 One on each side.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 237 
 
 I had her truth, and you had her love." 
 
 But the young chap never knew nothin at all 
 
 Till now, and it sunk in his heart like a ball 
 
 In the teak. And the pecther in him he'd drew 
 
 Of his mother ever since he knew 
 
 Shivered. And had to put it together 
 
 The best he could ; but differin rather. 
 
 Aw, differin. And the very next day 
 
 He took to the mountain straight away. 
 
 I don't know did he think some angel would stand 
 
 On the cairn with the pecther in his hand 
 
 For him to copy ; but there's no accountin 
 
 There's queer things seein on the mountain 
 
 Aw, queer enough. And the air, you know, 
 
 That keen ; and no accountin though. 
 
 But I know a bird that '11 whistle ye down 
 
 From any mountain, I'll be bound, 
 
 A little bird. A hen or a cock? 
 
 No matter. " Come down from yandher rock !
 
 238 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Come down ! " it's sayin. And, by gum, 
 When that chap pipes, you'll have to come. 
 Aye, will ye. Aw, it's thrue, it's thrue ! 
 Do I mean little Katty ? Of coorse I do. 
 Little ? No ! But a woman grown, 
 And a joy for your heart to think upon. 
 For whenever she was gettin fair play, 
 With them two divils goin away, 
 She took a body, and she took a chin, 
 And a figger there astonishin. 
 And very careful of the father, 
 Aw, terrible, that was difficult rather; 
 Bein studdier, but apt to get dry, 
 And slippin into Callow's on the sly. 
 But she had a way to keep him in 
 Of a night. And grog, but 'lowancin. 1 
 Did she water it ? No ! God bless my sowl ! 
 Do ye think she'd ever be that bould 
 To water the father's grog ? Aw, dear ! 
 1 Putting him on allowance.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 239 
 
 IVater ? No ! Did ye ever hear ? 
 
 No, but 'd play with him, and coax 
 
 To get the bottle from him. And little jokes. 
 
 And he'd reach out his hand, all shaky lek, 
 
 And she'd put her arms around his neck, 
 
 And kiss him, and laugh, and look in his face ; 
 
 And all the little lovin ways 
 
 And the hand goin fumblin. And then, I'll be 
 
 blowed, 
 
 If she wouldn' be shovin a pipe in the road, 
 And grips and sucks, and it lighted at * her 
 In a crack. And " No matter," he'd say, " no 
 
 matter ! " 
 
 Aw, the grand ould man. And a bit of a smile, 
 And knew what she was up to all the while. 
 Havn' I seen them ? And the proud she was 
 When she got him to bed with only a glass ! 
 
 But, bless ye ! that was years before ; 
 
 'By.
 
 240 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 For the Docthor come urrov 1 it more and more, 
 
 Like urrov a drame, like urrov a fog. 
 
 And the man could sit and take his grog 
 
 Like a Christian. Moderate lek, that way 
 
 Moderate that's the time o' day. 
 
 Just with the glory he was takin 
 
 In the daughter, and the happy she was makin 
 
 The heart of the man, and the beautiful 
 
 She kep' the house, And never dull, 
 
 But as bright as bright. And then, for all, 3 
 
 He began to see the lusty and tall, 
 
 And the handsome she'd got, and the full in the 
 
 hips, 
 
 And the sweet t^lk runnin off her lips 
 Like water off an oar on the feather ; 
 And the sensible ; and altogether 
 The woman she was, and knowin a dale. 
 So, by gough, he spoke to Pazon Gale, 
 And the two of them stuck to like fun, 
 * Out of. ? However.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 2 4 i 
 
 And taught her everythin under the sun 
 Taechin ! Bless ye ! reggilar ! 
 Aw, they loved to be taechin her. 
 
 And books and copies, and sayin and writin, 
 
 And the ould pianna aw, just delightin 
 
 That was it, delightin you know 
 
 And the terrible fast she was larnin though, 
 
 And all about doctorin and bones, 
 
 And a hommer at her choppin the stones, 
 
 That they're sayin is rather suspicious o' meltin, 1 
 
 And showin the lines the world is built on. 
 
 So you see the gel was just in her bloom ; 
 And no chance but Misther Harry Combe 
 Would be seein that just a puffec z flower, 
 Lek the sun '11 be shinin after a shower, 
 Puffec, you know, in every part- 
 Aw, the little spot was in his heart 
 
 1 Show symptoms of having been melted. 8 Perfect. 
 
 R
 
 242 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 Afore he left the Island yes ! 
 Chut ! Bless your sowl ! he couldn' miss 
 But didn' say a word, but back 
 The very next month ! Aw, he wouldn be slack, 
 Wouldn' yandher lad ! Aw, very keen, 
 And as handsome a chap as ever was seen 
 Aye, Harry Combe they were callin him, 
 And still it wasn' the father's name 
 Curious ! And lookin bad, 
 Not havin the name your father had 
 Lek somethin wrong, you know, but wasn' ; 
 And there's plenty of them '11 have a dozen. 
 But I don't know. But, however, it come, 
 And not long about it, the way 1 with some; 
 But out and spoke, and axed her straight 
 Would she be after marryin him. "All right!" 
 Said Katty, at least you understand 
 Well, of coorse aw, a very nice young man. 
 And it's lek there'd be a dale of blushin goin, 
 1 As it is.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 243 
 
 And what did he mane ? And hardly knowin ; 
 
 And all to that; 1 but come at last, 
 
 The little word that makes all fast 
 
 The little word and whenever he gorrit 2 
 
 He'd put a kiss upon her forrit 3 
 
 Like on a queen at least I'm tould 
 
 The quality ! But bless your sowl ! 
 
 And it was beautiful to see 
 
 Their little ways aw, love-ely. 
 
 'Deed I've been hidin in the goss 
 
 A' purpose to see how happy she was, 
 
 The darlin ! And hardly right, you know, 
 
 But still for all just so, just so ! 
 
 Of coorse, and the world is full of slandher ; 
 
 But angels might have looked at .yandher. 
 
 One everin I seen them on the How 
 Christmas Head they're callin it now 
 Yes, yes ! you're right ; that's the name they hef, 4 
 1 So forth. 2 Got it. 3 Forehead. * Have.
 
 244 THE DOCTOR. 
 
 And the one taken and the other left 
 
 The Bible is sayin but lower down 
 
 Just under the cairn where the Rose was found, 
 
 And an ould well there the people was thinkin 
 
 Very holy, and goin a drinkin 
 
 For cures, or maybe laevin a pin 
 
 Or a halfpenny for luck to be in, 1 
 
 But rather lek them Romans, eh? 
 
 With their 'dolatry; but hard to say 
 
 Sittin there beside the well, 
 
 Aw, a pleasant spot and peaceable, 
 
 And these penny- walls 2 and little ferins 3 
 
 Has got a very putty appearance; 
 
 And the water that's in tremenjus cowl 4 
 
 So I was takin a little sthrowl, 
 
 Bein under orders to jine a ship 
 
 The very next day, and a longish trip, 
 
 And you never know, and aye, man, aye ! 
 
 Lek it would be a sort of good-bye 
 
 1 To be = for luck. " Wall pennywort. Ferns. 4 Cold.
 
 THE DOCTOR. 245 
 
 So of coorse pretendin not to know them, 
 But blest if they didn' call me to them, 
 And then they tould me the way it was, 
 And goin to be married for Michaelmas. 
 
 And "Tom," she says, "you've been a brother 
 
 To me," she says, and a kind of a smother 
 
 In her throat, you know, lek she couldn' refrain, 
 
 And the tears come rushin like the rain, 
 
 And she caught my two hands with the two of hers, 
 
 And she looked the long look in my face 
 
 And "I'm so happy, Tom," she said, 
 
 "Thank God," says I, and I bent my head, 
 
 And she pressed her hands against my lips, 
 
 And I kissed the little finger tips. 
 
 " Thank God ! " I said, but I couldn 1 sa) r more 
 
 And I went, but when I got down on the shore 
 
 Thinks I, "This '11 never do at all 
 
 Booin away like a funeral 
 
 And, by gough, I don't like to see her cry,
 
 246 77/ DOCTOR. 
 
 And, by gough, I'll put her in heart," says I. 
 
 So I turned, and stood, and I gave them a cheer 
 
 I did though terrible sharp and clear 
 
 " Hoorah ! Hoorah ! " and up with the cap 
 
 Agin the wind, and down with a flap 
 
 In the water; but seen her laugh in there, 
 
 Laughin, laughin never fear ! 
 
 God bless her she's a married woman 
 Now, and a little family comin; 
 And livin in England, and got the father 
 Very nice though living with her. 
 
 So that's THE DOCTOR, And now, my men, 
 I think it's time to be turnin in. 
 Good night ! It's feelin to be rough. 
 You liked little Katty? Well, that's enough.