"Ay! One o' both sorts," said Jos.
"Thou never says!" Charlie repeated, holding his glass of gin steady in
his hand.
"One come at summat after one o'clock, and th' other between five and
six. I had for fetch old woman Eardley to help. It were more than a
handful for Susannah and th' doctor."
Astonishing, that I should have slept through these events!
"How is her?" asked Charlie, quietly, as it were casually. I think this
appearance of casualness was caused by the stoic suppression of the
symptoms of anxiety.
"Her's bad," said Jos, briefly.
"And I am na' surprised," said Charlie. And he lifted the glass.
"Well--here's luck." He sipped the gin, savouring it on his tongue like
a connoisseur, and gradually making up his mind about its quality. Then
he took another sip.
"Hast seen her?"
"I seed her for a minute, but our Susannah wouldna' let me stop i' th'
room. Her was raving like."
"Missis?"
"Ay!"
"And th' babbies--hast seen _them_?"
"Ay! But I can make nowt out of 'em. Mrs Eardley says as her's never
seen no finer."
"Doctor gone?"
"That he has na'! He's bin up there all the blessed night, in his
shirt-sleeves.
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