nearly ten o'clock
`` Awm gettin varry interested , '' Mary sed , when he stopt to leet his pipe ` at had gooan aght , `` goa on wi ' yor tale . '' He puffed away for a minnit , an then went on : -- `` Someha or other Amy 's nelly slipt in between th ' railins like yor 's did a bit sin , an aw wor ovver th ' fence after it like a shot , -- but when aw wor climbin up agean , my golly , if one o'th two remainin buttons did n't snap cleean off , aw think th ' thread mun ha ' been as rotten as apples , -- luckily aw wor just on th ' top o'th rail , or aw dooa n't knaw what aw should ha done , but aw managed to get on to th ' seat , an thear aw sat . '' Mary an Dick booath started o ' laffin , an Dick sed , `` Well , an ha did yo ' goa on ? '' `` It wor noa laffin matter for me aw con tell yo ' , -- it wor summer time , an not dark wol nearly ten o'clock , an it wor nobbut eight then . Amy faand aght in a minnit ` at summat wor wrang , but shoo sed nowt , an aw kept it quiet as long as aw could , wishin at th ' sun ` ud luk sharp an goa daan , but asteead o ' that , it seemed to me ` at it wor gooin higher up ivvery minnit . Soa when shoo 'd sed at shoo wor chilly , an wanted to walk a bit , abaat hawf a duzzen times , aw wor forced to tell her th ' truth . Aw expected shoo 'd a made fun o ' me , but shoo did n't ; shoo lukked reeal consarned abaat it , an sed shoo wor varry sorry for th ' mishap , but we 'd stop whear we wor till it wor dark .