9 o CONVERSATIONAL HINTS 



spoke to me about it : said I'd better go and make 

 it right with the old gal. So, yesterday I goes to 

 call upon 'er. First we passed the time o' day 

 together, and then we got to business. You see, 

 sir, me and the old lady had always been friendly, 

 so I took it on the friendly line. " Look 'ere," I 

 says, " Mrs. Padstow, I've come about a cat." 

 " Ah," she says. " It's just this way," I says, " Mr. 

 Chalmers tells me you said I'd shot your cat. 

 Now," I says, straightenin' myself up and lookin' 

 proud, " I couldn't scarcely believe that, and you 

 and me such good friends, so I've just come to ask 

 you if you did say that." She was a bit took aback 

 at this, so I asked 'er again. " Well," she says, 

 "I didn't exactly say that." "What did you say 

 then ? " I asked her. " I told Mr. Chalmers," she 

 says, " that our old cat 'ad been shot what never 

 did no 'arm, and I thought it might be as you'd a 

 done it, p'raps not meanin' it." " Ah," I says, 

 " them was your words, was they? " " Yes," she 

 says, " them was my words." " Well, then," I 

 says, " you'd better be careful what you say next 

 time, or you don't know whose character you'll be 

 takin' away next." And with that I left 'er.' 



