When his wife went, poor thing--an' it was a chill on the liver, they said; it took her very sudden--he says to me, "Mrs.
Peckover," he says, "I know you for a motherly woman"-- just like that--see?
--"I know you for a motherly woman," he says, "an' the idea I have in my 'ed is as I should like to leave Janey in your care, 'cause," he says, "I've got work in Birmingham, an' I don't see how I'm to take her with me.

Understand me ?" he says.

"Oh!" I says--not feelin' quite sure what I'd ought to do--see?
"Oh!" I says.

"Yes," he says; "an' between you an' me," he says, "there won't be no misunderstanding.
If you'll keep Janey with you"-- an' she was goin' to school at the time, 'cause she went to the same as my own Clem--that's Clemintiner--understand?
--"if you'll keep Janey with you," he says, "for a year, or maybe two years, or maybe three years--'cause that depends on cirkinstances"-- understand?
--"I'm ready," he says, "to pay you what it's right that pay I should, an' I'm sure," he says, "as we shouldn't misunderstand one another." Well, of course I had my own girl to bring up, an' my own son to look after too.

A nice sort o' son; just when he was beginnin' to do well, an' ought to a paid me back for all the expense I was at in puttin' him to a business, what must he do but take his 'ook to Australia.' Her scrutiny discerned something in the listener's face which led her to ask: 'Perhaps you've been in Australia yourself, mister ?' 'I have.' The woman paused, speculation at work in her eyes.
'Do you know in what part of the country your son is ?' inquired the old man absently.
'He's wrote me two letters, an' the last, as come more than a year ago, was from a place called Maryborough.' The other still preserved an absent expression; his eyes travelled about the room.
'I always said,' pursued Mrs.Peckover, 'as it was Snowdon as put Australia into the boy's 'ed.