The Salamanca Corpus: Yeoman Fleetwood (1900 ... - Gredos

The Salamanca Corpus: Yeoman Fleetwood (1900)
ever get wed.' And he says, looking at me so earnest — ‘God knows, indeed, Aunt,' he
says; 'God knows'"
"You should have told him that he ought of course to marry now," cried Miss Charnock,
with heightened colour.
“Simon never was one to make much count o' women folk," returned Miss Fleetwood.
“I often wondered he wasn't snapped up afore this — he'd make a good husband — he's
been a good son and a good nephew.' Is yon door quite shut, Miss Charnock?"
"Quite," returned the girl, with a glance towards it.
"Then I'll tell you a bit of a secret Simon's behaved wonderful handsome to me about
my buryin’. I says to him: ‘Nephew,' I said, ‘I would like to have a nice buryin''. And he
towd me he'd see I had one. Well, you see. Miss Charnock, I have a wonderful fancy to
be buried with a hearse. Folks about here never has aught but walking funerals, but,
when Pringle died — that's Cousin Pringle's husband — he had a hearse fro' Liverpool
and a mourning coach, and there were black feathers to th' horses' heads, and at four
corners o' th' hearse — eh! they looked real well; gradely they did. Still, as I said to
Simon, I'm the last o' th' Fleetwood females —'without you get wed,' says I, ‘and have a
daughter of your own'. (That was the time I told him that I didn't think it likely he'd
wed, and he says, ‘God only knows').
‘So,’ says I, ‘I would really like to have a proper funeral. I'd like,’ I says, 'a hearse with
white feathers -black
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ones is for married folk, my Cousin Pringle says, and, thanks be to God, I never had a
husband; and I’d like a coach for yourself, Simon, and another coach for Susan and
Dolly and Bill — how much would that come to, d'ye think?' says I. And he told me not
to mind what it coom to, he'd see as I had whatever I fancied. Well, then, I said if it
came too expensive, I'd give o'er thinking on it, ‘for I don't want,' I says, ‘to cut too
much off fro' Cousin Pringle's legacy'. 'Don't trouble about that. Aunt Binney,' says he,
'you shall have whatever you wish for, and I'll pay for it 'Tis the least I may do,' he says,
‘after you keepin' house for me so long.' Now warn't that handsome o' him?"