CHAPTER XXIX

ANOTHER DAY

It do be thray weeks to-day sinse Miss Claire’s after announsing her

ingagemint to Mr. Vandybilt. The family kept silinse upon the subjeck.

Its a straynge and sad house its after being now.

Both Mr. John and James wint back to there rayspictif places in the city

on Siptimber 1st after having spint the intyre summer doing there fine

riting at the hoose.

Mr. James do be a famiss riter and theres hardly a paper pooblished but

has a pichure of himself looking out frum the frunt page, bauld and

agrissive looking, for shure the lad do have his back oop aginst the

intyre warld. Hes joyned the Soshilist and Anykist ordher I’m after

reeding in the papers, and its intinded by him (ses wan of the papers,

which always nos a person’s plans befure there made) to live in the

slooms for the rist of his life, devoating himsilf to sittlemint wark

amang the Rooshin Jews.

Mr. Wolley’s masheen broak down aboot a fortnite ago, and the auld

gintleman is like a child widout his favrite toy. He do be wayting ivery

day for the new carbureater to arrive, and manewile he spinds all his

time fooling aboot wid the masheen that isn’t rooning anny longer. Mrs.

Wolley has dridful narviss hidakes, injooced so she told me in

confydunse as mooch by her wurry over Miss Claire as frum anny uther

cause.

As for Miss Claire hersilf. Puir child! She do be that quite and

shrinking in her ways. Theres skurcely a site I’m getting of the child

ixcipt at meal times.

Its not warth intering up the milincully ivints of the sad days, and

shure I’ll be glad indade whin we move back to town in a few weeks now.

There be no troo Nites abownding in this sad and loansum country, for

the Nites are an avarashus lot. Since the news wint abrord that I’m

having me little bit of forchune in the bank, I’ve been pestered wid the

dummed forchune hoonters till I begin to look wid soospischun on ivery

dummed man that spakes to me at all.

Ah, its a sad thing to be ritch in these days, for the lads cum

acoorting wid wan eye on yere pockit and the ither on yere face. Since

museer infarmed me of the greedy hart of Mr. Mulvaney its never a sivil

ward I’ve handed the lad since, and he pretinding to be beside himsilf

wid disthress and begging me ivery day to go wid him to the praste.

“Mr. Mulvaney” ses I, “whin Delia O’Malley is reddy to marry she’ll be

choosing a thrifty lad wid a forchune larger than her own. Do you tak me

for a nigger?” arsks I. “Ivery dummed one of those unforchunt crachures

do be washing after marruge, handing over there hardairned wages to the

cauld-harted goomps theyve been loonyticks enuff to marry. Larry

Mulvaney” ses I, “Its a smart lad ye are, but Delia O’Malley sees throo

yere thricks.”

“Delia, me darlint” ses he, wid such airnestness I’m almost like to

belave him, “I wish” ses he, “ye’d tak yere munney frum the bank and

drap it into the well” ses he. “Its you I want” ses he, “not yer auld

munney.”

“Mr. Mulvaney” ses I cauldly, “Anny wan but an eediot” ses I “cud fish

up a bit of munney put doon in a well.”

To musseer I likewise ixprissed mesilf consarning forchune hoonters in

gineral and furringer in pertickler.

“Museer” ses I “I oonderstand its the custum in yure cuntry for the

wimmen to guv over there bit of a forchune to there worthliss

hoosbunds?”

“May but me share Mumsell Delia” ses he, “Is it not thin a grand custom?

Think sharee” ses he, “Hoo shud be the custoadyun of the joynt wilth of

such a onion if not the hed of the family. Why sharee” ses he, sharee

being Frinch for mavorneen, “It is as it shud be.”

“Museer” ses I, “I may be auld-fashuned, but I shtand here riddy to

state the following facks. I’m a hard warking girl and befure I’d see me

hard airned savings parss into the hands of a good-fur-nothing disiloot

Frinch husbund I’d throw it into purgatry and burn it oop insted. Good

marning museer” ses I “Will you plase ixcuse me this avening.”

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The diary of Delia : Being a veracious chronicle of the kitchen, with some side-lights on the parlour · 第 29 / 30 章