CHAPTER IX 71
her a bit for herself, even if she doesn ' t plant nothin ' but parsley an ' radishes? She ' d dig an ' rake away an ' be right down happy over it.' Them was the very words she said."
" Were they?" said Mary. " How many things she knows, doesn ' t she?"
" Eh!" said Martha. " It ' s like she says: ' A woman as brings up twelve children learns something besides her A B C. Children ' s as good as ' rithmetic to set you findin ' out things.'"
" How much would a spade cost--a little one?" Mary asked.
" Well," was Martha ' s reflective answer, " at Thwaite village there ' s a shop or so an ' I saw little garden sets with a spade an ' a rake an ' a fork all tied together for two shillings. An ' they was stout enough to work with, too."
" I ' ve got more than that in my purse," said Mary. " Mrs. Morrison gave me five shillings and Mrs. Medlock gave me some money from Mr. Craven."
" Did he remember thee that much?" exclaimed Martha.
" Mrs. Medlock said I was to have a shilling a week to spend. She gives me one every Saturday. I didn ' t know what to spend it on."
" My word! that ' s riches," said Martha. " Tha ' can buy anything in th ' world tha ' wants. Th ' rent of our cottage is only one an ' threepence an ' it ' s like pullin ' eye-teeth to get it. Now I ' ve just thought of somethin '," putting her hands on her hips.
" What?" said Mary eagerly.
" In the shop at Thwaite they sell packages o ' flower-seeds for a penny each, and our Dickon he knows which is th ' prettiest ones an ' how to make ' em grow. He walks over to Thwaite many a day just for th ' fun of it. Does tha ' know how to print letters?" suddenly.