'It's a man that's called
to see you an' it's very important.'
"'Tell him I'm in bed,' says I, 'and can't get up till six o'clock.'
"Well, after a lot of grumbling, she went again, then came back and
says the man won't go away till he seen me, as it's very important.
'Something about a bird,' she says.
"'A bird!' I says, 'what d'you mean by a bird?'
"'A rook!' she says.
"'A rook!' says I. 'Is he a madman, or what?'
"'He's a man at the door,' she says, 'an' he won't go away till he sees
you, so you'd better git up and see him.'
"'All right, old woman,' I says, 'I'll git up as you say I must, and
I'll smash him. Get me something to put on,' I says.
"'No,' she says, 'don't smash him'; and she give me something to put on,
weskit and trousers, so I put on the weskit and got one foot in a
slipper, and went out to him with the trousers in my hand. And there he
was at the door, sure enough, a tramp!
"'Now, my man,' says I, very severe-like, 'what's this something
important you've got me out of bed at four of the morning for? Is it
the end of the world, or what?'
"He looked at me quite calm and said it was something important but not
that - not the end of the world.
