five o'clock
Nah as aw tell 'd yo befooar , Sydney wor a reight nice young feller -- he wor as steady as a clock , an nubdy could n't say nowt ageean him , nobbut for one thing , an that wor he 'd getten an idea into his heead , at he could n't possibly live baat bacca -- mornin , nooin an neet , he wor hardly ivver withaat awther a pipe or a cigar in his maath , an tho ' fowk tell 'd him at he smooked a deeal too mich , it wor noa gooid . `` Aw could n't live baat a bit o ' bacca , '' he used to say , `` an when th ' day cooms ` at aw may ` nt smook , aw shall ` nt care ha sooin they shut me up in a box , an cart me off to th ' burryin graand . '' Soa yo can easy imagine ` at wi sich sentiments as these , he did n't leeave off smookin as ha fowk tawked . At last Tuesdy coom , an as th ' best train for Brummagem left at five o'clock in th ' afternooin , Sydney decided he 'd goa by that ; an as its a longish gait , ov cooarse he tuk jolly gooid care to have plenty o ' smookin materials wi him . When he gate to th ' stashun , he faand aght to his disgust , ` at th ' only reekin hoil on all th ' train wor full , soa he gate into another carriage an decided to mak that into one , for he 'd getten some slips o ' paper in his pocket wi '' _ Smookin _ '' on , soa as he could stick one on if it wor required , haivver has nubdy else got in wi him , he did n't bother abaat puttin th ' slip up . At last th ' train started an glided aght o ' th ' leeted stashun into th ' darkness aghtside , for it wor winter time , an a thick muggy afternooin , soa he lit his pipe an started readin a `` Clock Almanac '' at he 'd bowt -- an what wi readin th ' stories , an thinkin abaat ha sooin he 'd see Mabel , an fillin his pipe , he did n't nooatice where he 'd getten too ; when all ov a sudden th ' train started gooin slower an slower , an finally stopt at a bit ov a road-side stashun , abaat as big as one o ' them hot pay hoils whear lads caar ov a neet to spend ther coppers in . As it wor a express he knew it did n't owt to stop there , an just as he wor wonderin what ther wor to do , th ' door wor oppened an a little owd gentleman wi spectacles on , wor tumbled into th ' same compartment whear he wor , an a leather bag wor shoved in after him -- a porter touched his hat an shaated aght `` All reet ! ''