'What do you think of my roofing ?' He pointed with his walking-stick at the chancel roof, 'Did you do that, sir ?' 'Yes, I worked in shirt-sleeves all the time that was going on.

I pulled down the old rafters, fixed the new ones, put on the battens, slated the roof, all with my own hands, Worm being my assistant.

We worked like slaves, didn't we, Worm ?' 'Ay, sure, we did; harder than some here and there--hee, hee!' said William Worm, cropping up from somewhere.

'Like slaves, 'a b'lieve--hee, hee! And weren't ye foaming mad, sir, when the nails wouldn't go straight?
Mighty I! There, 'tisn't so bad to cuss and keep it in as to cuss and let it out, is it, sir ?' 'Well--why ?' 'Because you, sir, when ye were a-putting on the roof, only used to cuss in your mind, which is, I suppose, no harm at all.' 'I don't think you know what goes on in my mind, Worm.' 'Oh, doan't I, sir--hee, hee! Maybe I'm but a poor wambling thing, sir, and can't read much; but I can spell as well as some here and there.
Doan't ye mind, sir, that blustrous night when ye asked me to hold the candle to ye in yer workshop, when you were making a new chair for the chancel ?' 'Yes; what of that ?' 'I stood with the candle, and you said you liked company, if 'twas only a dog or cat--maning me; and the chair wouldn't do nohow.' 'Ah, I remember.' 'No; the chair wouldn't do nohow.

'A was very well to look at; but, Lord!----' 'Worm, how often have I corrected you for irreverent speaking ?' '-- 'A was very well to look at, but you couldn't sit in the chair nohow.
'Twas all a-twist wi' the chair, like the letter Z, directly you sat down upon the chair.